Health monitoring with ear-wearable devices and accessory devices

ABSTRACT

Each accessory device in a set of accessory devices may establish a respective communication link between the accessory device and an ear-wearable device. A particular accessory device in the set of accessory devices may receive data via the communication link between the particular accessory device and the ear-wearable device. The data comprise information generated based on sensor signals from sensors that monitor a user of the ear-wearable device. The accessory devices perform a health monitoring activity based on the data.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/188,623, filed Mar. 1, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/289,078, filed Feb. 28, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No.10,939,216, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/135,712, filed Sep. 19, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,659,859,a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/135,784,filed Sep. 19, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,728,642, acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/135,829,filed Sep. 19, 2018, a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/135,867, filed Sep. 19, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,019,417,each of which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/636,551, filed Feb. 28, 2018, the entire content of each of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to ear-wearable devices and accessories forear-wearable devices.

BACKGROUND

Ear-wearable devices are devices designed to be worn on, in, or near oneor more of a user's ears. Common types of ear-wearable devices includehearing assistance devices (e.g., “hearing aids” and “hearinginstruments”), earbuds, headphones, hearables, cochlear implants, and soon. In some examples, an ear-wearable device may be implanted orosseointegrated into a user. Some ear-wearable devices includeadditional features beyond just environmental sound-amplification. Forexample, some modern ear-wearable devices include advanced audioprocessing for improved device functionality, controlling andprogramming the devices, and beamforming, and some can even communicatewirelessly with external devices including other hearing aids (e.g., forstreaming media).

SUMMARY

In general, this disclosure describes techniques for health monitoringthat involve ear-wearable devices and devices that act as accessories toear-wearable devices. For instance, in one example, this disclosuredescribes a method of health monitoring, the method comprising:establishing, by each accessory device in a set of accessory devices, arespective communication link between the accessory device and anear-wearable device, the respective communication link being a wirelesscommunication link in which the accessory device receives radio signalsgenerated by the ear-wearable device, an optical communication channelin which the accessory device receives light generated by theear-wearable device, or an electrical communication channel in which theaccessory device receives electrical pulses generated by theear-wearable device; receiving, by a particular accessory device in theset of accessory devices, first data via the communication link betweenthe particular accessory device and the ear-wearable device, the firstdata comprising information generated based on sensor signals fromsensors that monitor a user of the ear-wearable device; and performing,by the set of accessory devices, a health monitoring activity based onthe first data.

In another example, this disclosure describes a method comprising:obtaining, by the ear-wearable device, sensor data from one or moresensors configured to gather information about a user of theear-wearable device; determining, by the ear-wearable device, based onthe sensor data, whether the user has experienced an acute health event;in response to determining that the user has experienced an acute healthevent: establishing, by the ear-wearable device, a communication linkbetween the ear-wearable device and a first accessory device, thecommunication link being a wireless communication link in which theaccessory device receives wireless signals generated by the ear-wearabledevice; and sending, by the ear-wearable device, first health data tothe first accessory device via the communication link, the first healthdata being based on the sensor data; and in response to determiningsubsequently that the user has not experienced the acute health event,sending, by the ear-wearable device, second health data based on thesensor data to a second accessory device while the ear-wearable deviceis coupled to a charging device that charges a power source of theear-wearable device.

In one example, this disclosure describes a method of health monitoring,the method comprising: establishing, by each accessory device in a setof accessory devices, a respective communication link between theaccessory device and an ear-wearable device, the respectivecommunication link being: a wireless communication link in which theaccessory device receives radio signals generated by the ear-wearabledevice, an optical communication channel in which the accessory devicereceives light generated by the ear-wearable device, or an electricalcommunication channel in which the accessory device receives electricalpulses generated by the ear-wearable device; receiving, by a particularaccessory device in the set of accessory devices, first data via thecommunication link between the particular accessory device and theear-wearable device, the first data comprising information generatedbased on sensor signals from sensors that monitor a user of theear-wearable device; and performing, by the set of accessory devices, ahealth monitoring activity based on the first data.

In another example, this disclosure describes an accessory devicecomprising: one or more communication units configured to: establish acommunication link between the accessory device and an ear-wearabledevice, the communication link being: a wireless communication link inwhich the accessory device receives radio signals generated by theear-wearable device, an optical communication channel in which theaccessory device receives light generated by the ear-wearable device, oran electrical communication channel in which the accessory devicereceives electrical pulses generated by the ear-wearable device; andreceive first data via the communication link between the accessorydevice and the ear-wearable device, the first data comprisinginformation generated based on sensor signals from sensors that monitora user of the ear-wearable device; and one or more processors configuredto perform a health monitoring activity based on the first data.

In another example, this disclosure describes an accessory devicecomprising: means for establishing a communication link between theaccessory device and an ear-wearable device, the communication linkbeing a wireless communication link in which the accessory devicereceives radio signals generated by the ear-wearable device, an opticalcommunication channel in which the accessory device receives lightgenerated by the ear-wearable device, or an electrical communicationchannel in which the accessory device receives electrical pulsesgenerated by the ear-wearable device; means for receiving first data viathe communication link between the accessory device and the ear-wearabledevice, the first data comprising information generated based on sensorsignals from sensors that monitor a user of the ear-wearable device; andmeans for performing a health monitoring activity based on the firstdata.

In another example, this disclosure describes a computer-readablestorage medium having instructions that cause a set of accessory devicesto: establish, by each accessory device in the set of accessory devices,a respective communication link between the accessory device and anear-wearable device, the respective communication link being: a wirelesscommunication link in which the accessory device receives radio signalsgenerated by the ear-wearable device, an optical communication channelin which the accessory device receives light generated by theear-wearable device, or an electrical communication channel in which theaccessory device receives electrical pulses generated by theear-wearable device; receive, by a particular accessory device in theset of accessory devices, first data via the communication link betweenthe particular accessory device and the ear-wearable device, the firstdata comprising information generated based on sensor signals fromsensors that monitor a user of the ear-wearable device; and perform, bythe set of accessory devices, a health monitoring activity based on thefirst data.

The details of one or more aspects of the disclosure are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the techniques described in this disclosurewill be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example health monitoringsystem in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example system, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example portable case forstoring and charging behind-ear portions of an example hearingassistance device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example hearing assistancedevice, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of ear-wearabledevice(s) in accordance with a technique of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an example of an information triage operation of anear-wearable device in accordance with a technique of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An ear-wearable device may include one or more sensors that gather dataabout a user of the ear-wearable device. For example, the ear-wearabledevice may include a heart rate sensor, a photoplethysmography sensor,an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a temperature sensor, a pressuresensor, magnetic field sensors, and so on. The data gathered by suchsensors may be used to perform health monitoring activities that trackvarious aspects of the health of the user. For example, the datagathered by such sensors may be used by a health monitoring service inhealth monitoring activities, such as determining whether the user hasfallen, whether the user is performing a sufficient amount of exercise,whether the user has a fever, whether the user is experiencingloneliness or depression, whether the user is experiencing tremors,whether the user is experiencing or about to experience a seizure,whether the user's blood glucose is under control, whether the user hasa cardiac arrhythmia, and so on.

Various types of users may benefit from health monitoring services. Forexample, patients under the care of a physician may have chronic diseasestates which require monitoring by physicians/healthcare professionals.Furthermore, certain people may be identified as being at high-risk fora life-threatening medical episode based on health, or family history.Additionally, a user of a hearing device may want the added security ofhaving key real-time heath-status indicators measured and/or monitored.

The processes required to perform activities of a health monitoringservice may require significant amounts of power and computationalresources. Because ear-wearable devices are typically designed to be assmall as possible, the power sources of ear-wearable devices arecommensurately small. Moreover, the computations required to performactivities of a health monitoring service may require the use of complexprocessing circuits, which may add size and cost to the ear-wearabledevices. Thus, performing certain activities of a health monitoringservice on an ear-wearable device may be impractical.

As described in this disclosure, a health monitoring system may beimplemented that uses one or more accessory devices as support nodes fora set of one or more ear-wearable devices worn by a user. As such, theaccessory devices may perform communication and processing activities onbehalf of the ear-wearable devices. For instance, the ear-wearabledevices may transmit data gathered by sensors to one or more of theaccessory devices. The accessory devices may support health monitoringactivities by processing the data, retransmitting the data to one ormore remote computing systems, or a combination thereof.

The accessory devices may include devices that are specifically designedfor use as accessories to the ear-wearable devices. For instance, theaccessory devices may include a charging device configured forrecharging power sources of the ear-wearable devices. In anotherexample, the accessory devices may include media streamer devices thatreceive media data from one or more source devices and wirelesslytransmit the media data to the ear-wearable devices. The use of suchaccessory devices as support nodes for the ear-wearable devices mayincrease the ability of the ear-wearable devices to offload data forprocessing in a health monitoring system. In this way, a system thatincludes accessory devices and ear-wearable devices may support healthmonitoring activities without unduly increasing a computational load ofthe ear-wearable devices.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example health monitoringsystem 100, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure. In the example of FIG. 1 , health monitoring system 100includes a set of one or more ear-wearable device(s) 102, a set of oneor more accessory devices 104A through 104N (collectively, “accessorydevices 104”), a network 106, and a set of one or more computing devices108A through 108N (collectively, “computing devices 108”). Additionally,health monitoring system 100 may include a set of one or more sensordevices 110A through 110N (collectively, “sensor devices 110”). In otherexamples of this disclosure, health monitoring system 100 may includemore, fewer, or different devices, systems, or components. For instance,in some examples, health monitoring system 100 does not includecomputing devices 108, network 106, and/or sensor devices 110.

Each of ear-wearable device(s) 102 may be a device designed for wear at,on, or near an ear of a user 105. User 105 may wear a singleear-wearable device or may concurrently wear multiple ear-wearabledevices. Ear-wearable device(s) 102 may comprise one or more of varioustypes of devices configured to provide hearing assistance. For example,ear-wearable device(s) 102 may comprise one or more hearing assistancedevices. In another example, ear-wearable device(s) 102 may comprise oneor more Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs). In anotherexample, ear-wearable device(s) 102 may comprise one or more cochlearimplants, cochlear implant magnets, cochlear implant transducers, andcochlear implant processors. In another example, ear-wearable device(s)102 may comprise one or more so-called “hearables” that provide varioustypes of functionality. In other examples, ear-wearable device(s) 102may comprise other types of devices that are wearable in, on, or in thevicinity of the ears of user 105. In other examples, ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 may comprise other types of devices that are implanted orotherwise osseointegrated with the skull of user 105; wherein theear-wearable device is able to facilitate stimulation of the ears ofuser 105 via the bone conduction pathway.

In examples where ear-wearable device(s) 102 include one or more hearingassistance devices, health monitoring system 100 may be referred to as ahearing assistance system. In examples where ear-wearable device(s) 102are hearing-assistance devices, ear-wearable device(s) 102 may beprimarily configured to provide sound to user 105 for hearing. In someinstances, such as when user 105 has unilateral hearing loss, user 105may wear a single hearing-assistance device. In other instances, such aswhen user 105 has with bilateral hearing loss, user 105 may wear twohearing-assistance devices, with one hearing-assistance device for eachear of user 105.

In general, there are three types of hearing-assistance devices. A firsttype of hearing-assistance devices includes a housing or shell that isdesigned to be worn in the ear for both aesthetic and functional reasonsand enclose the electronic components of the hearing instrument. Suchhearing-assistance devices may be referred to as in-the-ear (ITE),in-the-canal (ITC), completely-in-the-canal (CIC), orinvisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing assistance devices. Some in-the-earhearing assistance devices instruments have limited capabilities due totheir small size and limited volume for housing electronics and powersources. Examples of drawbacks of IIC devices include a shortenedbattery life, lower fit rates due to the volume of components to beplaced in the canal, lack of wireless features like programming andaudio streaming, no telecoil, and patient frustration with changingbatteries. A second type of hearing-assistance devices, referred to asbehind-the-ear (BTE) hearing-assistance devices, include a housing wornbehind the ear contains all of the electronic components of the hearinginstrument, including the receiver (i.e., the speaker). The receiverconducts sound to an earbud inside the ear via an audio tube. Lastly, athird type of hearing-assistance devices, referred to as areceiver-in-canal (MC) hearing-assistance devices, has a housing wornbehind the ear that contains all of the electronic components except forthe receiver, which is worn in the ear canal. The output state of a RIChearing instrument may be electrically connected to the receiver worn inthe ear canal.

Accessory devices 104 may include devices that are configured for usewith ear-wearable device(s) 102. Example types of accessory devices 104may include charging cases for ear-wearable device(s) 102, storage casesfor ear-wearable device(s) 102, media streamer devices, phone streamerdevices smart televisions, smart speaker devices, medical alarm devices,key fobs, smartwatches, smartphones, motion or presence sensor devices,smart displays, screen-enhanced smart speakers, wireless routers,wireless communication hubs, prosthetic devices, mobility devices,remote microphones, remote controls for ear-wearable device(s) 102special-purpose devices, and other types of devices. In some examples,accessory device 104 include devices that are specifically designed tobe used as accessories of ear-wearable device(s) 102. In some examples,one or more of ear-wearable device(s) 102 and/or accessory devices 104may be equipped with a virtual personal assistant, such as ALEXA™ fromAmazon.com, Inc. or GOOGLE ASSISTANT™ from Google LLC. References inthis disclosure to accessory devices 104 performing particular actionsmay refer to one of accessory devices 104 performing the particularactions or two or more of accessory devices 104 performing theparticular actions.

Each of accessory devices 104 may be configured to establish arespective communication link between the accessory device andear-wearable device(s) 102. Such communication links may or may notoccur concurrently with each other. Moreover, the communication linkbetween an accessory device and ear-wearable device(s) 102 may beestablished and disestablished multiple times. In examples where thereare multiple ear-wearable device(s) 102, a communication link between anaccessory device and ear-wearable device(s) 102 may in fact be acommunication link solely between the accessory device and one ofear-wearable device(s) 102.

In some examples, the communication link between an accessory device andear-wearable device(s) 102 is a wireless communication link in which theaccessory device receives radio signals generated by ear-wearabledevice(s) 102. In some examples, the communication link between anaccessory device and ear-wearable device(s) 102 is an opticalcommunication channel in which the accessory device receives lightgenerated by the ear-wearable device. In some example, the communicationlink between an accessory device and ear-wearable device(s) is anelectrical communication channel in which the accessory device receiveselectrical pulses generated by the ear-wearable device. In suchexamples, the communication channel does not involve any intermediatedevices, such as network routers or gateways.

In the example of FIG. 1 , network 106 includes a communication networkthat enables communication between one or more of accessory devices 104and one or more of computing devices 108. Network 106 may include avariety of different types of communication networks. For example,network 106 may include one or more local area networks, wide areanetworks, the Internet, a cellular data network, or other types ofnetworks. Network 106 may include wired and/or wireless communicationlinks. In some examples, network 106 represents any public or privatecommunications network, for transmitting data between computing systemsand computing devices. Network 106 may include a cellular communicationnetwork, such as a 3G network, 4G LTE network, a 5G network, or othercellular communication network using another type of wirelesscommunication technology. Network 106 may include a short-rangecommunication network, such as Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, or other type ofcommunication network including direct-connections, such as Wi-Fi®direct and inferred direct communication networks. Network 106 mayinclude or be communicatively coupled to the Internet or other types ofnetworks, both personal and private. Network 106 may include one or morenetwork hubs, network switches, network routers, or any other networkequipment, that are operatively inter-coupled thereby providing for theexchange of information between components of health monitoring system100. One or more of accessory devices 104 and computing devices 108 mayeach be operatively coupled to network 106 using respective networklinks. The links coupling accessory devices 104 and computing devices108 to network 106 may be Ethernet or other types of networkconnections; such connections may be wireless and/or wired connections.

Computing devices 108 may include various types of computing devices.For example, computing devices 108 may include server devices,smartphones, personal computers, tablet computers, wireless basestations, other ear-wearable devices, and so on. In some examples, oneor more of computing devices 108 include devices used by third parties,such as healthcare professionals, family members, other ear-wearabledevice users, and other types of individuals. This disclosure may referto a party other than user 105 as a third party.

Each of computing devices 108 may include a single electronic computingdevice or combination of two or more electronic computing devices, andmay include: a hearing assistance device programmer (e.g., a device usedby a medical professional to calibrate, change parameters, or otherwiseconfigure ear-wearable device(s) 102, sensor devices 110, and/oraccessory devices 104 according to a treatment plan or treatmentprotocol), one or more mobile computing devices (e.g., a mobile phone,laptop computer, tablet computer, automobile computer, or other mobiledevice), one or more wearable computing devices (e.g., a computerizedwatch, computerized glasses, and the like), one or more server devices,one or more server blades, one or more personal computers, one or morecontent delivery network devices, and any other types of mobile,non-mobile, or wearable computing devices. Thus, in general,descriptions in this disclosure of computing devices 108 performingparticular actions may be interpreted as some combination of one or moremobile, non-mobile, or wearable computing devices performing theparticular actions.

Sensor devices 110 may include devices having one or more sensors thatare configured to gather information about the user of ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 (e.g., user 105). In some examples, one or more of sensordevices 110 includes a body-worn device, such as a smartwatch, smartglasses, an implantable medical device, a Holter monitor, and so on.Example types of sensors may include electrocardiogram (EKG) sensors,photoplethysmogram sensors, heart rate sensors, body temperaturesensors, inertial measurement units (IMUs), accelerometers, gyroscopes,electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors, magnetometers, image sensors,cameras, respiration sensors, pulse oximetry sensors, blood pressuresensors, eye movement sensors, eye-tracking sensors, microphones,pressure sensors, and so on.

Sensors of ear-wearable device(s) 102 and/or sensor devices 110 maygenerate signals that may be used to monitor user 105 for signs ofvarious medical conditions. For example, the sensors may generatesignals that may be used to monitor user 105 for signs that user 105 hasfallen. In other examples, the sensors may generate signals that may beused to monitor the heart rate of user 105, generate anelectrocardiogram of user 105, measure a respiration rate of user 105,measure a blood pressure of user 105, and measure the blood glucose ofuser 105. Furthermore, in some examples, the sensors may sense tremorsthat may be associated with epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, or otherconditions. In some examples, one or more of the sensors may measuresnoring or signals indicative of the quality of sleep of user 105.

Ear-wearable device(s) 102 may be configured to communicate with eachother and sensor devices 110. Furthermore, at least one of ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 is configured to communicate with at least one ofaccessory devices 104. For example, ear-wearable device(s) 102,accessory devices 104, and sensor devices 110 may communicate wirelesslyusing wireless communication technology or a wire-based communicationtechnology. Example types of wireless communication technology includeNear-Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) technology, a 900 MHz technology, aBLUETOOTH™ technology, a WI-FI™ technology, audible sound signals,ultrasonic communication technology, infrared communication technology,or another type of communication that does not rely on wires to transmitsignals between devices. In some examples, ear-wearable device(s) 102,accessory devices 104, and sensor devices 110 may use a 2.4 GHzfrequency band for wireless communication. In some examples, sensordevices 110 communicate with ear-wearable device(s) 102 and not with anyother devices, such as accessory devices 104. In other examples, one ormore of sensor devices 110 may communicate with one or more of accessorydevices 104. In some examples, one or more of ear-wearable device(s) 102may communicate with one or more of accessory devices 104 via wiredcommunication links (e.g., via a cable, a direct electrical contactcommunication systems, etc.), wireless communication links (e.g.,inductive communication links, audible sound communication links,ultrasonic communication links, infrared communication links, etc.), andother types of wired or non-wireless communication techniques.

Furthermore, in some examples, one or more of accessory devices 104 areconfigured to communicate with other. In some examples, two or more ofaccessory devices 104 communicate with each other via a communicationnetwork, such as network 106. As described elsewhere in this disclosure,network 106 may include a local area network, a wide area network, theInternet, or another type of communication network. In some examples,two or more of accessory devices 104 communicate directly with oneanother. For example, two or more of accessory devices 104 maycommunicate using NFMI technology, a BLUETOOTH™ technology, a ZIGBEE™technology, audible sound communication, ultrasonic communication, oranother type of wireless communication technology. In some examples, twoor more of accessory devices 104 communicate directly with each othervia wired communication links.

In the example of FIG. 1 , sensor devices 110 may communicate with oneor more of ear-wearable device(s) 102. Furthermore, in some examples,two or more of sensor devices 110 may communicate directly with eachother without the involvement of ear-wearable device(s) 102. Althoughnot shown in the example of FIG. 1 , one or more of sensor devices 110may communicate with one or more of accessory devices 104 without theinvolvement of any of ear-wearable device(s) 102.

It is often the case that user 105 or a third party is interested inmaintaining or restoring the health of user 105. For example, if user105 is healthy and without a chronic disease state, user 105 may beinterested in viewing and analyzing vital signs or additional relevantbody-sensor data. However, in the past, this required visits to clinicsor hospitals where vitals and additional health-state measurements couldbe made. Improvements in technology allow for wearable sensors toacquire this data, but often require many independent, or invasive, orinconvenient sensors be applied to the wearers body. In some instances,these sensors limit mobility and are cumbersome.

In examples where user 105 has a chronic disease state or a familyhistory of being at risk for a health condition, user 105 may benefitfrom wearing body sensors. If user 105 were able to provide theirrelevant body sensor data to a health monitoring service, acute medicalemergencies might be averted by noticing trends prior to requiringemergency intervention. Not having the ability to monitor user 105 inthis way may cause unnecessary hospital and emergency room admissionsand may precipitate in medical and financial emergencies for user 105.Furthermore, even if a medical emergency is avoided, the healthcaresystem might instead require user 105 to submit to periodic clinicalvisits, e.g., to measure vital signs of user 105. However, as above,current options of remotely measuring user 105 with existingbody-sensors may be cumbersome and inconvenient for user 105 and may besignificantly less accurate when positioned on a more convenientlocation of the body, such as a wristwatch.

Further problems may exist because sensor devices 110 and ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 may have limited wireless transmission ranges (e.g., lessthan 10, 30, 50 feet). For example, sensor devices 110 may have wirelesstransmission ranges that do not significantly exceed ranges necessary towirelessly communicate with ear-wearable device(s) 102 (or other sensordevices 110 that are able to communicate with ear-wearable devices). Thelimited wireless transmission ranges may be attributable to the smallsizes of such devices, which may result in small battery capacity,attenuation due to the body of user 105, and other factors.Additionally, conserving battery power may be desirable in order tomaintain the operations of such devices. Furthermore, due to the smallsize and limited battery power of ear-wearable device(s) 102 and sensordevices 110, the ability of ear-wearable device(s) 102 and sensordevices 110 to perform complex computations may be limited.

In some examples of this disclosure, accessory devices 104 include amobile phone that acts as a support node for ear-wearable device(s) 102.A support node may be a device that provides communication and/orcomputational support to ear-wearable device(s) 102 and/or sensors 110.That is, the mobile phone may perform certain communication and/orcomputation functionality on behalf of ear-wearable device 102 and/orsensor devices 110. For instance, an application running on the mobilephone may perform support node functions for ear-wearable device(s) 102.In some examples, the mobile phone may communicate with ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 using BLUETOOTH™ Low Energy (BLE), audible soundcommunication, ultrasonic communication, infrared communication, WI-FI®,or another wireless communication technology. Offloading long-distancecommunication and/or computation to a mobile phone of user 105 mayenable better communication and may reduce demands on power supplies ofear-wearable device(s) 102.

However, in some circumstances, the use of a mobile phone of user 105 asa support node may not be appropriate or sufficient for the needs ofuser 105. For example, ear-wearable devices, such as hearing assistancedevices, are frequently used by the elderly, who may have reduceddexterity and limited familiarity with the use of smartphones. Moreover,many users do not typically carry their mobile phones around with themwhile at home, which may result in the mobile phones being out ofwireless communication range of ear-wearable device(s) 102 and/or sensordevices 110. Mobile phones also require frequent charging, which mightnot be part of the typical routine of user 105. User 105 may also bewary of incurring charges for use data on their mobile phone. As aresult, user 105 may intentionally or unintentionally power off themobile phone of user 105. These factors may result in an unacceptablyhigh probability that the mobile phone of user 105 is unavailable foruse as a support node. Additionally, using a mobile phone as a supportnode for ear-wearable device(s) 102 and/or sensor devices 110 mayrequire user 105 to purchase the mobile phone and remember to carryaround the mobile phone. This may impose additional financial and mentalburdens on user 105 or caregivers of user 105.

Hence, in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure,health monitoring system 100 includes a set of one or more accessorydevices 104, which may act as a network of support nodes forear-wearable device(s) 102. In some examples, the set of accessorydevices 104 includes a mobile phone of user 105. In other examples, theset of accessory devices 104 does not include any mobile phone of user105. By providing a broad list of types of devices that may be used assupport nodes for ear-wearable device(s) 102, especially when thedevices acting as support nodes are devices that user 105 wouldtypically use with ear-wearable device(s) 102, it may be more likelythat there will be one or more support nodes that fit the lifestyle ofuser 105.

As noted above, one or more of accessory devices 104 may bespecifically-designed for use as accessories to ear-wearable device(s)102. For example, accessory devices 104 may include charging devices,hearing aid accessories, media streamer devices, wireless relay devices,and other devices designed specifically for use as accessories toear-wearable device(s) 102. Devices that are specifically-designed foruse as accessories to ear-wearable device(s) 102 may have certainadvantages over general-purpose devices as support nodes forear-wearable device(s) 102.

For example, accessory devices 104 may include a charging device adaptedto recharge power sources of ear-wearable device(s) 102. In thisexample, because user 105 may need to use the charging device torecharge ear-wearable device(s) 102, user 105 is likely to bringear-wearable device(s) 102 within communication range of the chargingdevice on a regular basis, thereby enabling ear-wearable device(s) 102to offload data to the charging device for processing by at least one ofthe charging device, one or more other accessory devices 104, orcomputing devices 108.

In a similar example, accessory devices 104 may include a media streamerdevice. The media streamer device is configured to receive media datafrom a source device and wirelessly stream the media data toear-wearable device(s) 102. For example, the media streamer device mayhave a cable that plugs into an audio output jack of the source device.In other examples, the media streamer device may have a wirelesscommunication link, such as a BLUETOOTH™ communication link, with thesource device. Example source devices may include a television, home orvehicle audio system, landline telephone, mobile phone, computer,smartwatch, wearable device, medical device, video game system, and soon. The media data may include audio data that ear-wearable device(s)102 may play back to user 105. In this way, user 105 may have betteraccess to higher-quality sound than user 105 would otherwise have ifmicrophones of ear-wearable device(s) 102 were to detect sound generateddirectly by speakers of the source devices. Because user 105 may need tobring ear-wearable device(s) 102 within communication range of the mediastreamer device in order to access media data from the source device,user 105 is likely to bring ear-wearable device(s) 102 withincommunication range of the media streamer device on a regular basis,thereby enabling ear-wearable device(s) 102 to offload data to the mediastreamer device for processing by at least one of the media streamerdevice, one or more other accessory devices 104, or computing devices108.

In another example, accessory devices 104 include a remote-controldevice configured to wirelessly control ear-wearable device(s) 102. Forexample, the remote-control device may have one or more buttons thatenable user 105 to change the volume level of ear-wearable device(s)102, one or more buttons to change audio profiles of ear-wearabledevice(s) 102, one or more buttons to toggle noise reduction, one ormore buttons to turn ear-wearable device(s) 102 on and off, and/orbuttons that control other aspects of ear-wearable device(s) 102.Because user 105 is likely to have a remote-control device close-by,ear-wearable device(s) 102 may be able to offload data to theremote-control device on a regular basis. Similar considerations applywith respect to remote microphone devices. A remote microphone deviceincludes a microphone that may be placed close to a person to whom user105 wants to listen. The remote microphone may transmit an audio signalto ear-wearable device(s) 102.

In some examples, two or more of accessory devices 104 may communicatewith each other. In some such examples, two or more of accessory devices104 may communicate directly with each other without the use ofintermediate network devices. For instance, one of accessory devices 104may receive a wireless transmission of data from another one ofaccessory devices 104.

Accessory devices 104 may communicate with each other for variouspurposes. For instance, in one example, a first accessory device mayreceive first data from ear-wearable device(s) 102. In this example, thefirst accessory device may send second data based on the first data to asecond accessory device. The second accessory device may then processthe second data. In this example, the second data may comprise a copy ofthe first data or the first device may perform intermediate processingon the first data to generate the second data. In this example, thefirst accessory device may send the second data to the second accessorydevice because the second accessory device may have greater powerresources. For instance, the second accessory device may be connected toan electrical power grid while the first accessory device may be batterypowered. Similarly, the first accessory device may send the second datato the second accessory device because the second accessory device hasmore capable processors than the first accessory device. In someexamples, accessory devices 104 may forward data received fromear-wearable device(s) 102 (or data generated based on the data receivedfrom ear-wearable device(s) 102) to one or more of computing devices108.

Accessory devices 104 and/or computing devices 108 may perform varioustypes of actions using data received from ear-wearable device(s) 102and/or sensor devices 110. For example, monitoring nodes (e.g.,accessory devices 104 and/or computing devices 108) may generatewellness data based on the data received from ear-wearable device(s) 102and/or sensor devices 110. The term wellness data may apply to varioustypes of information that relate to the physical and/or mental wellnessof user 105. For example, the wellness data may include achieved levelsof one or more wellness measures, statistical data regarding user 105,and/or other types of information about user 105.

In some examples, as part of generating the wellness data, themonitoring nodes may identify negative trends or anomalies indicating adetrimental health-condition or trend in user 105. The monitoring nodesmay store data for use in data trending, even if such data does notindicate an immediate threat to the health of user 105. Instead, dataanalysis and processing algorithms performed by the monitoring nodes maylook for departures from either acceptable limits, or negative trends inhealth-related body-sensor data which warrant review by a qualifiedhealthcare provide/monitoring service.

In examples in which accessory devices 104 send data to monitoring nodes(e.g., which may also be referred to as health monitoring endpoints) ofhealth monitoring system 100, the monitoring nodes may use automatedroutines that seek to identify actionable medical conditions. In someexamples, people may use the monitoring nodes to manually review thedata. Furthermore, in some examples, health monitoring system 100 mayuse a combination of automated routines and humans to identifyactionable medical conditions. Actionable medical conditions includemedical conditions of user 105 upon which user 105 or another person mayact. If a monitoring node identifies an actionable medical condition,one or more monitoring nodes of health monitoring system 100 may performan action. For example, a monitoring node of health monitoring system100 may communicate with user 105, dispatch emergency services, or alertother healthcare providers to take other actions at a later date (suchas titrating prescription drug dosages with the intent of improving thepatients/wearers health). Such actions by healthcare providers may beeligible for insurance reimbursement on an event-by-event basis or forreimbursement through any subscription/monitoring fees associated withthe health monitoring service.

In some examples in which computing devices 108 select actions,computing devices 108 may use one or more of accessory devices 104 toperform the selected actions. For instance, in one example, computingdevice 108A may select an action that includes providing a notificationto user 105. In this example, computing device 108A may send data to oneor more of accessory devices 104 instructing the accessory devices 104to cause ear-wearable device(s) 102 to provide the notification. Thenotification may comprise audible stimuli, tactile stimuli, hapticstimuli, electrical stimuli, or other types of stimuli. One or morehaptic engines included in ear-wearable device(s) 102 may generate thetactile or haptic stimuli.

In some examples in which a plurality of accessory devices 104 areconfigured for use as accessories to ear-wearable device(s) 102,computing devices 108 may attempt to send actionable data to each ofaccessory devices 104 or one of accessory devices 104 may attempt tosend actionable data generated or obtained by the accessory device toeach other one of accessory devices 104. Thus, when ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 establishes a communication link with any of accessorydevices 104, any of accessory devices 104 may interact with ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 to perform actions associated with the actionable data.

Various actions may be selected (e.g., by monitoring nodes such asaccessory devices 104 or computing devices 108) for different healthconditions. For example, if user 105 has seizures, selected actions mayinclude titration of anti-seizure drugs. In another example where user105 has seizures, the selected actions may include providing an audiblewarning of an impending seizure, which may allow user 105 to prepare forthe seizure (e.g., by pulling over their car or stopping machinery) orsummoning assistance. In examples where user 105 snores or has poorsleep quality, the selected actions may include providing notifications(e.g., audible, tactile, haptic, electrical, and/or other types ofstimuli) to assist in minimizing snoring. In examples where user 105 isdiabetic, the selected actions may include providing an audiblenotification prompting user 105 to boost or lower their blood glucose.

Furthermore, in some examples, user 105 suffers from Alzheimer's diseaseor dementia and is prone to wandering away from home or other safelocation. Accordingly, the selected actions may include notifying one ormore caregivers that user 105 has potentially gotten lost. In thisexample, one or more monitoring nodes of health monitoring system 100may determine that user 105 has wandered away if ear-wearable device(s)102 are not within wireless communication range of any of accessorydevices 104. That is, accessory devices 104 may determine thatear-wearable device(s) 102 are no longer within wireless communicationrange of any of accessory devices 104. In response to determining thatear-wearable device(s) 102 are no longer within wireless communicationrange of any of the accessory devices, accessory devices 104 may triggera computing device (e.g., one of computing device 108) to generate analert to a party other than user 105 of ear-wearable device(s) 102.

In some examples, the actions selected by monitoring nodes of healthmonitoring system 100 may include targeted notifications that promptuser 105 to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For instance, such targetednotifications may include medication reminders, nutrition reminders,reminders to exercise, and so on. In some examples, the targetednotifications may include audible messages played back by ear-wearabledevice(s) 102. In other examples, the targeted notifications may includeemail messages, text messages, voicemail messages, or other types ofmessages. In some examples, targeted notifications may be played backthrough audio gateway devices, such as a smart speaker device (e.g., anECHO™ device from Amazon.com, Inc. or a GOOGLE HOME™ device from GoogleLLC.).

In some examples, user 105 may initiate monitoring of one or moreaspects of the health of user 105. For example, user 105 may initiatemonitoring if user 105 feels that an acute health episode is occurringor impending. Examples of acute health episodes may include anomalousheart rhythms, low blood pressure, hypo- or hyper-glycemia, falls,symptoms of impending seizures, and so on. In examples where user 105initiates monitoring, ear-wearable device(s) 102 may expend greaterenergy than ear-wearable device(s) 102 typically would expend in orderto establish a communication link with one of accessory devices 104. Forinstance, ear-wearable device(s) 102 may transmit data at a maximumpower level, even though doing so may quickly deplete the power sourceof ear-wearable device(s) 102. Likewise, battery-powered accessorydevices may wirelessly transmit data at high power levels if doing so isrequired to communicate with one or more other ones of accessory devices104 or computing devices 108.

In some examples, accessory devices 104 may help people locate user 105.For example, there may be multiple accessory devices 104 configured foruse with ear-wearable device(s) 102 and the communication links betweenaccessory devices 104 and ear-wearable device(s) 102 are wirelesscommunication links. Furthermore, accessory devices 104 may beassociated with fixed locations within a building. For instance, acharging device may be stored in the bedroom of user 105, a first mediastreamer device may be connected to a television in a living room and asecond media streamer device may be connected to a television in akitchen. Monitoring nodes (e.g., accessory devices 104 or computingdevices 108) may estimate, based on wireless signals emitted byear-wearable device(s) 102 and detected by one or more of accessorydevices 104, a location of ear-wearable device(s) 102. For instance, insome examples, monitoring nodes may triangulate the location ofear-wearable device(s) 102 based on the wireless signals. For instance,the monitoring nodes may triangulate the locations of ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 based on signal strengths of the wireless signals.Additionally or alternatively, where one or more of the monitoring nodeshas multiple antennas, transmitters or receivers, the monitoring nodesmay triangulate the locations of ear-wearable device(s) 102 based on theangle of arrival, and/or angle of departure of the wireless signals.Thus, in some examples where an accessory device has multiple antennas,the accessory device may determine the location of ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 without involvement of other accessory devices 104.Certain types of accessory devices, such as charging devices and mediastreamer devices, are especially likely to remain at fixed positions,which may enhance their ability to estimate the location of ear-wearabledevice(s) 102. This may be advantageous relative to other types ofdevices, such as mobile phones, that are by nature more mobile.

In some examples, monitoring nodes may send navigation information to acomputing device. The navigation information may indicate the estimatedlocation of the ear-wearable device. The computing device in thisexample may be a mobile device of a caregiver, family member, firstresponder, emergency medical technician (EMT), or another individual whomay need to find user 105 quickly (e.g., in the event of an acute healthepisode or user 105 wandering away). Thus, in one such example, healthmonitoring system 100 includes a plurality of accessory devices 104 andthe communication links between accessory devices 104 and ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 are wireless communication links. In this example,accessory devices 104 may estimate, based on wireless signals emitted byear-wearable device(s) 102 and detected by accessory devices 104, alocation of ear-wearable device(s) 102. In this example, accessorydevices 104 may send navigation information to a computing device (e.g.,one of computing devices 108), where the navigation informationindicates the estimated location of the ear-wearable device. In someexamples, monitoring nodes may send notifications to one or more thirdparties if the estimated location of user 105 is outside a predefinedarea. Thus, ear-wearable devices 102 may serve as a virtual anklebracelet for nursing homes, electronic fence applications, and so on.

In some examples, ear-wearable device(s) 102 and/or accessory devices104 may communicate with one or more medical devices used by user 105.Example medical devices may include implanted medical devices, body-wornmedical devices, home medical devices, and other types of medicaldevices. In some examples, ear-wearable device(s) 102 or accessorydevices 104 may transmit actionable data generated by monitoring nodesof health monitoring system 100 to one or more medical devices used byuser 105. In one example, the actionable data may cause an implanteddrug pump to administer a medication. In some examples, the actionabledata may cause ear-wearable device(s) 102 to interact with otherbody-worn or implantable medical devices to perform electrical ormedical stimulation. In some examples, example, the actionable data maychange configuration settings of a medical device.

In some examples, one or more medical devices used by user 105 maytransmit information to health monitoring system 100 e.g., by way ofear-worn devices 102. Monitoring nodes of health monitoring system 100(e.g., accessory devices 104, computing devices 108, etc.) may use suchdata as part of performing health monitoring activities. For example, amedical device may transmit information indicating a battery power levelof the medical device. In this example, as part of performing healthmonitoring activity, a monitoring node may generate, based on theinformation transmitted by the medical device, actionable data that whenreceived by ear-wearable device(s) 102 causes ear-wearable device(s) 102to output an audible notification that the power level of the battery ofthe medical device is low. In another example, a defibrillator deviceimplanted in user 105 may transmit information indicating that thedefibrillator device will imminently begin defibrillation. In thisexample, a monitoring node may generate, based on the informationtransmitted by the defibrillator device, actionable data that whenreceived by ear-wearable device(s) 102 cause ear-wearable device(s) 102to output an audible warning of imminent defibrillation. In anotherexample, the monitoring node may notify a third party of the imminentdefibrillation. Health monitoring activities may include activities thatmonitor one or more health conditions of a user and generate outputbased on the health conditions of the user.

Privacy is a concern for many users. For instance, user 105 may feeluncomfortable having a large amount of personal data stored on thecloud. Moreover, the storage of such personal data on the cloud maypresent security and regulatory risks to a party, such as a manufacturerof ear-wearable device(s) 102 or a health monitoring service, thatcollects and stores the personal data. Hence, in accordance with thetechniques of this disclosure, accessory devices 104 may process certaintypes of personal data locally, without transmitting the personal datato cloud-based processing nodes such as computing devices 108. In thisway, health monitoring system 100 may avoid the transmission and/orstorage of certain types of personal data by cloud-based computingdevices.

As noted elsewhere in this disclosure, two or more of accessory devices104 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly. For example,accessory device 104A and accessory device 104N may communicate witheach other. In certain examples where two or more accessory devices 104may communicate with each other, one of accessory devices 104 mayforward personal data or intermediate data to another one of accessorydevices 104 for further processing. For example, accessory device 104Amay be a portable charging case for ear-wearable device(s) 102 andaccessory device 104N may be a media streamer device configured for usewith ear-wearable device(s) 102. In this example, the portable chargingcase may receive personal data from one or more of ear-wearabledevice(s) 102. Because the media streamer device, unlike the portablecharging case, may have access to power from an electrical grid, theportable charging case may forward the personal data to the mediastreamer device, which may then perform one or more health monitoringactivities.

In some examples, accessory devices 104 may share information with eachother that enable accessory devices 104 to determine which of accessorydevices 104 should perform particular health monitoring activities. Forinstance, accessory device 104A may share information indicating thataccessory device 104A has access to a grid power source and has a firsttype of processor. In this example, accessory device 104N may shareinformation indicating that accessory device 104N has a second type ofprocessor. Based on this shared information, each of accessory devices104 may determine that accessory device 104A is current the bestequipped to perform the health monitoring activities. Which one ofaccessory devices 104 performs the health monitoring activities maychange as different accessory devices 104 are added or removed from agroup of active accessory devices.

Monitoring nodes may use various types of computational techniques toperform monitoring activities. For example, a monitoring node mayperform monitoring activities using business rules, artificialintelligence techniques (e.g., neural networks), and so on.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example system, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 isdescribed in the context of health monitoring system 100 of FIG. 1 . Forinstance, FIG. 2 includes a hearing assistance device 202 and a portablecase 204. HAD 202 may be one of ear-wearable device(s) 102. Portablecase 204 may be one of accessory devices 104.

In the example of FIG. 2 , HAD 202 includes a behind-ear portion 206Acoupled to an in-ear portion 208 via a tether 210. Behind-ear portion206A of HAD 202 is housed in a retention structure of portable case 204,for example, either to be subsequently detached from tether 210 forcharging, or to be removed from portable case 204 via tether 210 to beworn by a user. In addition to storing (and in some instances charging)a power source of behind-ear portion 206A, portable case 204 also maycharge one or more other behind-ear portions. For example, in FIG. 2 ,portable case 204 is also shown storing and/or charging behind earportions 206B and 206N. In the example of FIG. 2 , portable case 204 isconfigured in a carousel arrangement to facilitate quick and easyexchange of one behind-ear portion 206 for a different behind-earportion 206. In other examples, portable case 204 may be configured in alinear or other such arrangement.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example accessory device 300in accordance with one or more aspects of this disclosure. Accessorydevice 300 may be various types of devices. For example, accessorydevice 300 may be a media streamer device. In another example, accessorydevice 300 may be a portable case for storing and charging ear-wearabledevice(s) 102. Accessory device 300 is an example of accessory devices104 of FIG. 1 and/or portable case 204 204 of FIG. 2 . Accessory device300 may include additional or fewer components than those shown in FIG.3 .

In the example of FIG. 3 , accessory device 300 includes one or moreinput components 326, one or more output components 328, one or moreprocessors 320, data storage device 330, one or more transceivers 322,one or more antennas 324, a system charger 332, an energy storage device336, one or more communication units 338, and communication bus 340.Data storage device 330 may include interface module 442, variousapplication modules 444, and user data 446. In some examples in whichaccessory device 300 comprises a charging case, accessory device 300 mayinclude retention structures 312A-312N, and ear-wearable device charger334. In other examples, accessory device 300 does not include retentionstructures 312A-312N and ear-wearable device charger 334. For instance,in examples where accessory device 300 is a remote microphone device,accessory device 300 may include one or more microphones.

Communication bus 340 interconnects at least some of the components 322,324, 326, 328, 320, 330, 332, 334, and 338 for inter-componentcommunications. That is, each of components 322, 324, 326, 328, 320,330, 332, 334, and 338 may be configured to communicate and exchangedata via a connection to communication bus 340. In some examples,communication bus 340 is a wired or wireless bus. Communication bus mayinclude a system bus, a network connection, an inter-processcommunication data structure, or any other method for communicatingdata.

Input components 326 are configured to receive various types of input,including tactile input, audible input, image or video input, sensoryinput, and other forms of input. Non-limiting examples of inputcomponents 326 include a presence-sensitive input device or touchscreen, a button, a switch, a key, a microphone, a camera, or any othertype of device for detecting input from a human or machine. Othernon-limiting examples of input components 326 include one or more sensorcomponents, such as a proximity sensor, a global positioning system(GPS) receiver or other type of location sensor, an accelerometer, aninertial measurement unit (IMU), a temperature sensor, a barometer, agyro, an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor, a hydrometer sensor,a heart rate sensor, a magnetometer, a glucose sensor, an olfactorysensor, a compass, a magnetometer, an antennae for wirelesscommunication and location sensing, a step counter, to name a few othernon-limiting examples.

Output components 328 are configured to generate various types ofoutput, including tactile output, audible output, visual output (e.g.,graphical or video), and other forms of output. Non-limiting examples ofoutput components 328 include a sound card, a video card, a speaker, adisplay, a projector, a vibration device, a light, a light emittingdiode (LED), or any other type of device for generating output to ahuman or machine.

One or more communication units 338 enable accessory device 300 tocommunicate with external devices (e.g., computing devices 108 and/orear-wearable device(s) 102) via one or more wired and/or wirelessconnections. Communication units 338 transmit and receive signals beingtransmitted across network 106 and convert the network signals intoreadable data used by any of components 322, 324, 326, 328, 320, 330,332, 334, and 338. One or more antennas 324 are coupled to communicationunits 338 and are configured to generate and receive the signals thatare broadcast through the air (e.g., via network 106).

Examples of communication units 338 include various types of receivers,transmitters, transceivers, Bluetooth radios, short wave radios,cellular data radios, wireless network radios, universal serial bus(USB) controllers, proprietary bus controllers, network interface cards,optical transceivers, radio frequency transceivers, or any other type ofdevice that can send and/or receive information over a network. In caseswhere communication units 338 include a wireless transceiver,communication units 338 may be capable of operating in different radiofrequency (RF) bands (e.g., to enable regulatory compliance with ageographic location at which accessory device 300 is being used). Forexample, a wireless transceiver of communication units 338 may operatein the 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz RF bands. A wireless transceiver ofcommunication units 338 may be a near-field magnetic induction (NFMI)transceiver, and RF transceiver, an Infrared transceiver, ultra-sonictransceiver, or other type of transceiver.

In some examples, communication units 338 are configured as wirelessgateways that manage information exchanged between accessory device 300,and ear-wearable device(s) 102, computing devices 108, and otherdevices. As a gateway, communication units 338 may implement one or morestandards-based network communication protocols, such as Bluetooth®,Wi-Fi®, GSM, LTE, WiMax®, 802.1X, Zigbee®, LoRa® and the like as well asnon-standards-based wireless protocols (e.g., proprietary communicationprotocols). Communication units 338 may allow ear-wearable device(s) 102to communicate, using a preferred communication protocol implementingintra and inter body communication (e.g., an intra or inter body networkprotocol), and convert the body communications to a standards-basedprotocol for sharing the information with other computing devices, suchas computing devices 108. Whether using a body network protocol, intraor inter body network protocol, body area network protocol, body sensornetwork protocol, medical body area network protocol, or some otherintra or inter body network protocol, communication units 338 enableear-wearable device(s) 102 to communicate with other devices that areembedded inside the body, implanted in the body, surface-mounted on thebody, or being carried near a person's body (e.g., while being worn,carried in or part of clothing, carried by hand, or carried in a bag orluggage).

Communication units 338 enable ear-wearable device(s) 102 to communicatewith other computing devices, such as computing devices 108 even thoughear-wearable device(s) 102 may only communicate using a non-standardcommunication protocol. Communication units 338 may convert astandards-based communication from one of computing devices 108 to anon-standards-based protocol associated with ear-wearable device(s) 102,and vice versa.

Energy storage 336 represents a battery (e.g., a well battery), acapacitor, or other type of electrical energy source or storage devicethat is configured to power components of accessory device 300. Energystorage 336 may be coupled to system charger 332. System charger 332 isresponsible for performing power management and charging of energystorage 336. System charger 332 may comprise a buck converter, boostconverter, flyback converter, or any other type of AC/DC or DC/DC powerconversion circuitry adapted to convert power (such as power from anelectrical grid) to a form of electrical power suitable for chargingenergy storage 336. In some examples, system charger 332 includes acharging antenna (e.g., NFMI, RF, or other type of charging antenna) forwirelessly recharging energy storage 336. In some examples, systemcharger 332 includes photo-voltaic cells, which may protrude through ahousing of accessory device 300 or otherwise be coupled to accessorydevice 300 for recharging energy storage 336. In some examples, systemcharger 332 relies on a wired connection to a power source for chargingenergy storage 336.

In examples in which accessory device 300 includes a charging case,accessory device 300 may include retention structures 312A-312N(collectively referred to as “retention structures 312”) configured toreceive portions of ear-wearable device(s) 102 (e.g., behind-earportions of ear-wearable device(s) 102) for charging. Retentionstructures 312 may include mechanical and/or magnetic attachmentfeatures that, after manipulation by a user, automatically attach ordetach portions of ear-wearable device(s) 102. Each of retentionstructures 312 is electrically coupled to energy storage 336 andear-wearable device charger 334. When ear-wearable device charger 334enables retention structures 312 for charging, electrical current passesfrom energy storage 336 to retention structures 312 (e.g., via somecharging circuitry).

Retention structures 312 may provide a magnetically coupled electricalconnection between a power source of an ear-wearable device (e.g., abehind-ear portion of an ear-wearable device) and ear-wearable devicecharger 334. Retention structures 312 may include one or more mechanicalstops to ensure correct seating and/or to prevent removal of the coupledportions of the ear-wearable devices when charging. Retention structures312 may include respective retention structures that enable easyinsertion of depleted portions of ear-wearable device(s) 102 and locksthe depleted portions of ear-wearable device(s) 102 in place. Themechanical and/or magnetic attachment features of retention structures312 may enable easy insertion of the portions of ear-wearable device(s)102 and may require a sufficient amount of force to overcome themechanical and/or magnetic attachment features during removal.

Ear-wearable device charger 334 includes charging circuitry that iselectrically coupled to each of retention structures 312 and isresponsible for enabling or disabling each of retention structures 312for charging power sources of ear-wearable device(s) 102. Ear-wearabledevice charger 334 may further exchange data between ear-wearable device102 (e.g., behind-ear portions of ear-wearable device(s) 102) located inretention structures 312 and other components of accessory device 300.Ear-wearable device charger 334 may cause the magnetic connectionbetween the power source of an ear-wearable device and ear-wearabledevice charger 334 to be stronger when charging the power source andweaker or reversed after the power source is charged (e.g., usingelectro-permanent magnets activated and deactivated by circuitry). Suchelectro-permanent magnets may be configured by a pulse of energysupplied by energy storage 336 and ear-wearable device charger 334. Suchenergy may be supplied from ear-wearable device charger 334 throughdirect connection or magnetic induction to the electro-permanent magnet.It should be understood that one or more electro-permanent magnets maybe included in either, or both, a behind-ear portion of an examplehearing assistance device and accessory device 300. Furthermore, anycombination of any of the following: electro-permanent magnets(s),permanent magnet(s), and ferrous material, may be used by at least oneof a behind-ear portion of an example ear-wearable device and accessorydevice 300 to achieve a strong bond between accessory device 300 and thecharging behind-ear portion.

One or more processors 320 execute operations that implementfunctionality of accessory device 300. For example, processors 320 mayperform health monitoring activities. Processors 320 may be implementedas fixed-function processing circuits, programmable processing circuits,or a combination of fixed-function and programmable processing circuits.Examples of processors 320 may include digital signal processors,general purpose processors, application processors, embedded processors,graphic processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs),application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), display controllers, auxiliary processors, sensorhubs, input controllers, output controllers, microcontrollers, and anyother equivalent integrated or discrete hardware or circuitry configureto function as a processor, a processing unit, or a processing device.

Data storage device 330 of accessory device 300 may comprise one or morefixed and/or removable data storage units configured to storeinformation for subsequent processing by processors 320 duringoperations of accessory device 300. In other words, data storage device330 may retain data accessed by modules 342 and 344 as well as othercomponents of accessory device 300 during operation. Data storage device330 may, in some examples, include a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium that stores instructions, program information, or otherdata associated modules 342 and 344. Processors 320 may retrieve theinstructions stored by data storage device 330 and execute theinstructions to perform operations described herein.

Data storage device 330 may include a combination of one or more typesof volatile or non-volatile memories. In some cases, data storage device330 includes a temporary or volatile memory (e.g., random accessmemories (RAM), dynamic random-access memories (DRAM), staticrandom-access memories (SRAM), and other forms of volatile memoriesknown in the art). In such a case, data storage device 330 is not usedfor long-term data storage and as such, any data stored by storagedevice 330 is not retained when power to data storage device 330 islost. Data storage device 330 in some cases is configured for long-termstorage of information and includes non-volatile memory space thatretains information even after data storage device 330 loses power.Examples of non-volatile memories include magnetic hard discs, opticaldiscs, flash memories, USB disks, or forms of electrically programmablememories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM)memories.

Interface module 342 and application modules 344 represent anycombination of hardware, software, and firmware units that are operableby processors 320 to perform operations of accessory device 300. Forexample, processors 320 may retrieve and execute instructions stored bydata storage device 330 that cause processors 320 to perform theoperations of interface module 342 and application modules 344. Byexecuting the instructions associated with interface module 342 andapplication modules 344, processors 320 may store or write informationto data storage device 330.

Interface module 342 implements a user interface associated withaccessory device 300, for example, by translating inputs detected byaccessory device 300 to commands for performing operations or generatingcorresponding outputs. Interface module 342 receives information aboutinputs detected by input components 326 and in response, generatesinformation for causing output components 328 to produce output. Forexample, interface module 342 may receive information from a microphoneof input components 326, determine that a user is speaking a command toaccessory device 300, and perform an operation in response.

Interface module 342 may detect two-dimensional and/or three-dimensionalgestures as input from a user of accessory device 300. For instance, asensor or IMU of input components 326 may detect a user's movement(e.g., moving a hand, an arm, a pen, a stylus, etc.) within a thresholddistance of the sensor. Interface module 342 may determine a two orthree-dimensional vector representation of the movement and correlatethe vector representation to a gesture input (e.g., a hand-wave, apinch, a clap, a pen stroke, etc.) that has multiple dimensions.Interface module 342 may receive information from an IMU and/ormagnetometer of input components 326, determine that a user isperforming a hand gesture with accessory device 300 in-hand, and performan operation in response.

Interface module 342 may provide a graphical user interface, an audibleuser interface, a haptic interface, or a combination thereof. The userinterface provided by interface module 342 may in some examples abattery gauge. The battery gauge may indicate battery levels ofbehind-ear portions 106 that are seated in retention structures 312. Thebattery gauge may indicate a battery levels of energy source 336. A usermay interact with the battery gauge provided by interface module byproviding verbal inputs (e.g., to a microphone of input components 326),touch inputs (e.g., to a touch screen of input components 326), or viahaptic components (e.g., detected by an IMU of input components 326).For example, if a user shakes accessory device 300, the movementdetected by movement sensors of input components 326 may indicate tointerface module 342 that a user wishes to learn the charging status ofbehind-ear portions 106. In response to the shake input, interfacemodule 342 may cause a speaker of output components 328 to generateaudible output that “speaks” the battery level to the user. Othercombinations of touch, voice, or haptic input and visual, audible, andhaptic outputs are possible.

Application modules 344 include any application or software thataccessory device 300 may execute to implement the functionality ofaccessory device 300 that is described in this disclosure. For example,application modules 344 may perform health monitoring activities, asdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure. In some examples, applicationmodules 344 may include machine-learning or artificial intelligencesoftware (e.g., for performing the health monitoring activitiesdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure), an Internet browser, a mediaplayer, a file system, a map or navigation program, or any other numberof applications or features that accessory device 300 may include. Otherexamples of application modules 344 include programming software forusing accessory device 300 as a programmer for ear-wearable device(s)102, a personal assistant application, a messaging or personalcommunication application, an audio recording application, or otherapplication.

In some cases, application modules 344 include an audio controllerapplication. The audio controller application may interact withcommunication units 338 to scan for available wireless audio broadcastswithin range of antennas 324 and cause interface module 342 to alert auser of potential audio sources (e.g., via audible, tactile, or visualfeedback). The audio controller application may receive informationobtained by interface module 342 (e.g., after input components 326detect spoken or touch inputs from a user) that is interpreted by theaudio controller application as an input to select a particular audiosource or broadcast.

Application modules 344, in some examples, include a remote-controlapplication. The remote-control application enables a user to provideinputs to accessory device 300 that alter settings of ear-wearabledevice(s) 102, or some other computing device, such as one of computingdevices 108.

In some examples, such as examples in which accessory device 300 is aremote microphone device, application modules 344 may include a remotemicrophone application. The remote microphone application enables a userto position accessory device 300 near a desired audio source (e.g.,another person, a speaker, etc.) and hear the audio being picked up byaccessory device 300, in his or her ear as the audio is played back viaone or more of ear-wearable device(s) 102. For instance, the remotemicrophone application may cause a microphone of input components 326 tostart recording audio. In seemingly near real-time, the remotemicrophone application processes the recorded audio and sends therecorded audio via communication units 328 to ear-wearable device(s)102, or some other external device.

Application modules 344 may include a personal assistant application orother artificial intelligence application that interacts with a user toperform various functions. For example, the assistant may help a userconfigure a hearing instrument for a particular environment, access theInternet to perform various tasks on behalf of the user, or performother assistant functionality.

Artificial intelligence capability provided by application modules 344could be distributed (with varying degrees of capability) amongstvarious components connected to network 105. For example, the artificialintelligence capability may execute in whole or part at accessory device300, other ones of accessory devices 104, ear-wearable device(s) 102,other personal electronics in a body-area-network, and at computingdevices 108 (e.g., in a cloud-based networked application environment).

With permission from a user, an artificial intelligence application maymonitor conversations being detected by a microphone of input components326 using voice recognition techniques (e.g., identifying a quantity ofindividual participants and their roles in the conversation), and whennecessary perform targeted cloud-based searches on behalf of the user ornear real-time translations. The artificial intelligence application maycause portable case to audibly, visually, or using haptic feedback,coach the user by causing output components 328 to output additionaldata, answers to questions, or cues when needed.

In some cases, the artificial intelligence application could be used tointerpret speech in the context of a conversation and “regenerate” amuch higher signal-to-noise ratio version of the received audio byperforming word or speech synthesis. The artificial intelligenceapplication may cause accessory device 300 to output (e.g., in acomputer-generated voice synthesized by the artificial intelligenceapplication that in some cases mimics the original source) theregenerated audio either via a speaker embedded in output components328, or via one or more speakers of ear-wearable device(s) 102. Theregenerated audio may in some cases be translated from one language toanother, in some instances, even correcting for grammatical errors. Sucha feature may significantly reduce or off-load the cognitive burden auser may otherwise experience listening to speech in a noisyenvironment. In other applications, the neural network may be employedto make automatic adjustments to ear-wearable device(s) 102 based on theacoustic environment that the wearer is in. These adjustments may bebased on sound the microphone picks up from either accessory device 300,another one of accessory devices 104, or ear-wearable device(s) 102,themselves. Other adjustments may be more direct from voice commandsfrom the user.

In some examples, the artificial intelligence application comprises aneural network. For example, the artificial intelligence application mayinclude a neural network for sound processing, sound classification,object or image classification, health condition classification, actionselection, and so on. In such an example, accessory device 300 mayinclude (or be communicatively coupled to one located in ear-wearabledevice(s) 102) an ultrasonic transducer and sensor and/or one or moreimage sensors for determining ranges to objects and/or density ofobjects. As such, accessory device 300 may execute the artificialapplication to perform (e.g., body-worn) assistance and navigation for aseeing impaired user.

User data 346 includes any information stored by accessory device 300 onbehalf of a user. User data 346 includes preferences or settingsassociated with accessory device 300 and ear-wearable device(s) 102.User data 346 may include calendar information, messages, alerts,warnings, alarms, e-mails, address book or contact information, musicfiles, audio book files, or other audio files that a user of accessorydevice 300 may wish to access, e.g., via a media player application 344executing at accessory device 300. User data 346 may be stored onremovable media of data storage 330. A user may swap out the removablestorage media for removable storage media that includes other music,audio books, etc. In some cases, user data 346 includes medical orfinancial records of the user, and other information that the user maywant to have on hand at all times. For example, user data 346 mayinclude an audio recording of a user's medical insurance record, medicalrecords, and medical alerts. User data 346 may include a digital walletwith personal credit card information, cryptocurrency information,passwords, cryptographic keys, authentication keys, and other types ofdata.

Application modules 344 may use user data 346 to perform an operation.Application modules 244 may write or modify user data 346. For example,an assistant application may utilize user data 346 to complete a task(e.g., when a user commands the assistant to tell the user about his orher daily schedule).

Accessory device 300 and data storage 330 may ensure that user data 346is encrypted, secure, and/or password protected to prevent malicioususe. Such passwords or encryption keys may be authenticated via sensoryinformation obtained from ear-wearable device(s) 102 or other externaldevice. For example, a user may speak a password, the spoken audio maybe picked up by a microphone of input components 326 or a microphone ofear-wearable device(s) 102. Using voice-recognition, face-recognition,or authentication techniques, accessory device 300 may validate the user(e.g., the user's voice, fingerprint, or facial image) or invalidate theuser. In response to validating the password or key, accessory device300 may unlock and grant access to user data 346. In response toinvalidating the voice input, accessory device 300 may prevent access touser data 346. In other examples, passwords and keys could beauthenticated via on-board biometry sensors of input components 326(e.g., a fingerprint sensor, a temperature sensor, a camera or imagesensor configured to perform facial recognition, or other sensor) orear-wearable device(s) 102. In some examples, in response toear-wearable device(s) 102 or portable case 104 authenticating a user(e.g., a wearer of ear-wearable device(s) 102), ear-wearable device(s)102 and/or portable case 104 may act as a “universal password wallet/orkey repository” that communicates via an encrypted/secure wirelessconnection with other wirelessly enabled devices that require userauthentication before granting access to the other wirelessly enableddevices (e.g. computers, smart-phones, automobile automation/locks, homeautomation/locks, etc.)

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example ear-wearable device400, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.As shown in the example of FIG. 4 , ear-wearable device 402 includesbehind-ear portion 406 operatively coupled to in-ear portion 408 viatether 410. Ear-wearable device 400 is an example of ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 of FIG. 1 and ear-wearable device 202 of FIG. 2 .Ear-wearable device 400 is described in the context of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. It should be understood that ear-wearable device 400 is only oneexample of a hearing assistance device according to the describedtechniques. Ear-wearable device 400 may include additional or fewercomponents than those shown in FIG. 4 . For example, ear-wearable device400 is presented as having a behind-ear portion and an in-ear portion.In other examples, ear-wearable device 400 may be a BTE, ITE, ITC, CIC,or IIC type ear-wearable device. In such examples, a tether may not bepresent and certain components shown in the example of FIG. 4 may becontained within a single shell.

Examples of each of the components of ear-wearable device 400 includethe examples of each of the similarly-named components of accessorydevice 300 described above. For instance, processors 420A and 420B maybe similar to examples of processors 320 described above and examples ofinput components 426A and 426B and output components 428A and 428Binclude the respective examples of input components 326 and outputcomponents 328 described above. In addition, processors 420A and 420Bmay include or access local memory of behind-ear portion 406 and in-earportion 408, respectively, to perform the operations described herein.

Tether 410 operatively (e.g., electrically, physically, andcommunicatively) couples behind-ear portion 406 with in-ear portion 408.Tether 410 is an example of tethers 110 and 210 and uses a combinationof one or more wired communication links to transfer information andelectrical energy between portions 406 and 408. Tether 410 may beconfigured as a handle for a user to grip ear-wearable device 400.

In-ear portion 408 is a part of ear-wearable device 400 responsible foroutputting sound for hearing. In-ear portion 408 includes coreelectro-acoustic features of ear-wearable device 400, including one ormore processors 420B, such as one or more digital signal processors, oneor more output components 428B, such as a speaker, and one or more inputcomponents 426B, such as a microphone. In-ear portion 408 may includeadditional components (e.g., acoustic filters and other components) thatare not shown in FIG. 4 .

One or more processors 420B may exchange information via tether 410 withbehind-ear portion 406. One or more processors 420B may receiveinformation from behind-ear portion 406 via tether 410 and perform anoperation in response. Likewise, one or more processors 420B maytransmit information to behind-ear portion 406 via tether 410 to causebehind-ear portion 406 to perform an operation in response.

For example, processors 420B may receive an indication of an audio datastream being output from behind-ear portion 406 and in response, causeoutput components 428B to produce audible sound representative of theaudio stream. In another example, a biometric sensor of input components426B may detect a physiological condition (e.g., heart rate, bodytemperature, blood sugar level, or other physiological condition) or amovement sensor of input components 426B may detect a change in movement(e.g., a change in biometric pressure, an acceleration, or other changein movement). Processors 420B may send an indication of thephysiological condition or change in movement via tether 410 tobehind-ear portion 406 for further processing, such as for executing afall-detection algorithm, determining a user's health, detecting athree-dimensional gesture (e.g., a head shake or head nod), orperforming some other operation based on data received from in-earportion 408.

Ear-wearable device 400 may send information (e.g., via behind-earportion 406) to accessory devices 104, such as portable case 204 of FIG.2 and accessory device 300 of FIG. 3 , for further processing, thus(indirectly) expanding the processing capabilities of ear-wearabledevice 400. And as described above, accessory devices (e.g., portablecase 200, accessory device 300, etc.) may provide additional offlineprocessing on behalf of ear-wearable device 400 by utilizing acloud-based service or relying on assistance from one of computingdevices 108 that is coupled to network 106.

In addition to the components described above, ear-wearable device 400includes energy storage 436B. In some examples, energy storage 436Benables in-ear portion 408 to operate as a stand-alone hearinginstrument without being operatively coupled to tether 410 andbehind-ear portion 406. For example, a user may prefer to normally weartether 410 and portions 406 and 408 during everyday use. However, when auser prefers to go without behind-ear portion 406 and tether 410 (e.g.,for aesthetic reasons, when exercising, when working, or at any othertime a user chooses to only wear in-ear portion 408), energy storage436B provides sufficient electrical energy storage to power in-earportion 408 during such times. Energy storage 436B may not be intendedto provide sufficient electrical energy for all-day use of in-earportion 408; rather energy storage 436B may provide one or more hours ofuse without altering the form-factor of in-ear portion 408 that enablesin-ear portion 408 to be concealed in a user's ear canal.

Behind-ear portion 406 is a part of ear-wearable device 400 responsiblefor supporting in-ear portion 408 in outputting sound for hearing. Insome examples, behind-ear portion 406 includes some or all of thecomponents of in-ear portion 408 shown in FIG. 4 . Behind-ear portion406 may include some of the components and perform some of thefunctionality attributed to in-ear portion 408 in the above description,for example, to reduce a physical size of in-ear portion 408 orotherwise reduce complexity of in-ear portion 408. For example, in-earportion 408 may support autonomous functionality (e.g., by operatingindependent of behind-ear portion 406 and tether 410). In such anexample, in-ear portion 408 includes tether connections and some or allof the components shown in FIG. 4 including an energy source as shown inFIG. 4 . In some examples, in-ear portion 408 includes additional memoryfor storing user data.

In the example of FIG. 4 , behind-ear portion 406 includes one or moreprocessors 420A, system charger 432, one or more output components 428A,one or more input components 426A, energy storage 436A. Behind-earportion 406 further includes, in this example, one or more antennas 424,one or more communication units 438, data storage device 430, andcommunication bus 440. Within data storage device 430 are one or moreapplication modules 444 and user data store 446.

In some examples, behind-ear portion 406 is configured as a detachable,modular component that houses a rechargeable energy source. For example,system charger 432 may include an electromagnetic transducer that iscompletely or partially contained within, or on, a housing of behind-earportion 406 for receiving electrical energy for purposes of chargingenergy source 436A. System charger 432 may include an inductive chargingcoil, or antenna with a pulse width modulation integrated circuit(PWMIC) and/or rectifier. System charger 432 may be configured toreceive electrical energy when behind-ear portion 406 mates with acharging retention structure of portable cases 104, 204, and 304 andstore the received electrical energy in energy storage 436A.

In addition to providing electrical energy, the components of behind-earportion 406 may further configure portion 406 to perform various otheradvanced functions. These other advanced functions include advancedbattery functions such as, but not limited to: short-circuit protection,polarity detection, charging status or alerts, storage reserve capacity,graceful power shutdown, emergency power conservation mode,fast-charging options, and other advanced battery functions. Forexample, one of application modules 444, executing at processors 420A,may receive information from system charger 432 or directly from energystorage 436A and cause processors 420A to present, based on the receivedinformation, battery health and status information via a user interfaceprovided by behind-ear portion 406, and/or the user interface providedby accessory devices 104.

The user interface provided by behind-ear portion 406 may present anaudible or haptic type user interface to the user relying on outputcomponents 428A and/or output components 428B of in-ear portion 408. Forinstance, processors 420A may send data to processors 420B that causeprocessors 420B to use output components 428B to generate sounds,audible cues, haptic feedback, or other alerts regarding informationsuch as, battery health, battery life, time remaining, storage reserveor capacity, health information of user 105, or other information. Inreverse, a user interface provided by behind-ear portion 406 may receivecommands from the user by relying on input components 426A and/or inputcomponents 426B of in-ear portion 408. For instance, processors 420A mayreceive data from processors 420B indicative of sounds, audible cues, orother information received by input components 426B as a user interactswith the user interface. Processors 420A may perform operations or alterthe user interface based on the data received from processors 420B.

Other functions that may be provided by ear-wearable device 400 (e.g.,behind-ear portion 406 of ear-wearable device 400), in various examples,include communication functions enabled by communication units 438 andantennas 424. Behind-ear portion 406 may enable in-ear portion 408 tocommunicate with external devices, such as computing devices 101, inaddition to enabling communication with other hearing instruments. Forexample, one of application modules 444 (e.g., a media playbackapplication) executing at processors 420A may receive an encoded audiostream from one of accessory devices 104, convert the encoded audiostream to a different format that is suitable for consumption by in-earportion 408, and cause processors 420A to send the converted audiostream to processors 420B of in-ear portion 408 for subsequent decodingand playback to a user. Alternatively, one of application modules 444may receive an encoded audio stream from in-ear portion 408, convert theencoded audio stream to a different format that is suitable forconsumption by computing devices 101, and cause processors 420A to sendthe converted audio stream, via communication units 438, to computingdevices 101 or portable cases 104, 204, or 304. In this way, in-earportion 408 and behind-ear portion 406 can communicate together and withother hearing instruments using more reliable intra or inter bodynetwork protocols while simultaneously supporting communication outsidethe body using cellular, LTE, Bluetooth®, Wi-FI®, and othercommunication protocols that are supported by external devices, such ascomputing devices 101.

Other functionality provided by behind-ear portion 406 includesoperating in a second mode when not being worn by a user (e.g., nottethered to in-ear portion 408) that is different than the modebehind-ear portion 406 operates-in when being word by the user. Forexample, processors 420A may detect when behind-ear portion 406 isdetached from tether 410. In response to detecting that tether 410 isnot operatively coupled to behind-ear portion 406, one of applicationmodules 444 may cause processors 420A to perform autonomous functions,such as operating as a miniature multi-functional hearing assistancedevice accessory. In such a mode, behind-ear portion 406 may configureinput components 426A to act as a wireless, remote microphone, or mayconfigure communication units 438 to extend the range of communicationsignals being transmitted or received by portable cases 104, 204, and304, in-ear portion 408, or one of external computing devices 101. Insome examples, even though tether 410 may be removed from behind-earportion 406, behind-ear portion 406 may still maintain a wirelesscommunication connection with in-ear portion 408. Specifically, whileoperating in the second mode, a communication unit and/or antenna ofin-ear portion 408 (not shown in FIG. 4 ) may wirelessly exchangecommunication signals with antennas 424 and communication units 438 ofbehind-ear portion 406, e.g., to transmit data representative of audioreceived by a microphone associated with behind-ear portion 406 toin-ear portion 408. As an illustration, the user may remove thebehind-ear portion 406 and place it proximate to another person tocapture speech emitted by the person for transmission to the in-earportion 408, facilitating better conversational hearing, e.g., in anoisy environment.

As another example, when operating in the second mode when not beingworn, behind-ear portion 406 may configure processors 420A to operate asa wireless audio controller that enables indirect, wireless pairing ofin-ear portion 408 to portable cases 104, 204, and 304, in-ear portion408, or one of external computing devices 101. By relying on behind-earportion 406 for audio controller functions, in-ear portion 408 mayoffload connection management processing that in-ear portion 408 mightotherwise be required to perform to communicate wirelessly with otherdevices, and as such, may reduce the rate of power consumption by in-earportion 408 and thereby extend the energy reserve of energy storage436B.

In any case, behind-ear portion 406 may perform the operations describedherein while behind-ear portion 406 charges energy storage 436A frominside portable case 204. Likewise, behind-ear portion 406 may performthe operations described herein while behind-ear portion 406 is nolonger charging and/or is located outside portable case 204.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of ear-wearabledevice(s) 104 in accordance with a technique of this disclosure. Theflowcharts of this disclosure are provided as examples. Other examplesmay include more, fewer, or different actions.

In the example of FIG. 5 , each accessory device in a set of accessorydevice(s) 104 (FIG. 1 ) may establish a respective communication linkbetween the accessory device and an ear-wearable device (500). Accessorydevice(s) 104 do not need to establish or maintain the communicationlinks concurrently. For each respective accessory device, the respectivecommunication link may be a wireless communication link in which therespective accessory device receives radio signals generated by theear-wearable device, an optical communication channel in which therespective accessory device receives light generated by the ear-wearabledevice, or an electrical communication channel in which the respectiveaccessory device receives electrical pulses generated by theear-wearable device. For instance, in the example of FIG. 2 , portablecase 204 may establish a communication channel with ear-wearable devicesvia a direct electrical contact or induction. In one example, aparticular accessory device in the set of accessory devices 104 is acharging device, the communication link between the particular accessorydevice and the ear-wearable device is a charging device communicationlink, and the charging device may establish the charging devicecommunication link at or during a time that the charging device isrecharging the power source of the ear-wearable device. The chargingdevice communication link is a communication link between the chargingdevice and the ear-wearable device. The charging device communicationlink may be any of the wired or wireless communication links describedelsewhere in this disclosure.

Furthermore, a particular accessory device in the set of accessorydevice(s) 104 may receive first data via the communication link betweenthe particular accessory device and the ear-wearable device (502). Forinstance, the particular accessory device may receive a wirelesstransmission of the first data from the ear-wearable device. Theparticular accessory device may be any type of accessory device, such asa charging device adapted to recharge a power source of the ear-wearabledevice. In another example, the particular accessory device is a mediastreamer device configured to receive media data from a source device(e.g., a mobile telephone of user 105, a television, etc.) andwirelessly stream the media data to the ear-wearable device. In anotherexample, the particular accessory device is a remote-control deviceconfigured to wirelessly control ear-wearable device(s) 102.

The first data may comprise information generated based on sensorsignals from sensors that monitor user 105 of ear-wearable device(s)102. Such sensor signals may include signals generated by sensors insensor devices 110 and/or sensors in ear-wearable device(s) 102.

Accessory devices 104 may perform a health monitoring activity based onthe first data (504). For instance, in an example where the particularaccessory device is a charging device, the charging device may performthe health monitoring activity. In some examples, accessory devices 104may communicate with each other to perform health monitoring activities.For instance, in one example, a first accessory device may receive firstdata from the ear-wearable device and generate second data based on thefirst data. In this example, the second data may include the first dataor the second data may be the result of transforming or processing thefirst data in some way. Furthermore, in this example, the firstaccessory device may send the second data to a second accessory devicein the set of accessory devices 104. In this example, the secondaccessory device may perform the health monitoring activity based on thesecond data.

In some examples, an accessory device may perform health monitoringactivities based on a combination of data received by another accessorydevice and data received from ear-wearable device(s) 102. For instance,continuing the example of the previous paragraph, the second accessorydevice may receive third data from the ear-wearable device via thecommunication link between the second accessory device and theear-wearable device. In this example, the second accessory device mayperform the health monitoring activity based on the second data and thethird data. For instance, in one example, the second data may includeheart rhythm data and the third data may include data indicating theposture of user 105. In this example, the accessory device may provideboth the heart rhythm data and the data indicating the posture of user105 into a neural network that determines whether user 105 isexperiencing a serious cardiac arrhythmia. In other examples, accessorydevices 104 may send, via communication network 106, the first data to acomputing device (e.g., one of computing devices 108) and may receivesecond data from the computing device where the second data is based onthe first data. In this example, accessory devices 104 may causeear-wearable device(s) 102 to generate an audio notification based onthe second data.

Examples of health monitoring activities are described elsewhere in thisdisclosure. For example, accessory devices 104 may cause ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 to generate an audio notification related to the user'shealth. For example, accessory devices 104 may send audio data toear-wearable device(s) 102 for playback by ear-wearable device(s) 102.In another example, accessory devices 104 may send a code toear-wearable device(s) 102 that indicates to ear-wearable device(s) 102to playback audio data stored on one or more of ear-wearable device(s)102.

In some examples, the health monitoring activity is performed in part byone or more of computing devices 108. Thus, in some examples, accessorydevice(s) 104 may send, via communication network 106, the first data toa computing device (e.g., computing device 108A) that is configured toperform a health monitoring activity, such as providing data based onthe first data to a party other than user 105.

In some examples of this disclosure, ear-wearable device(s) 102 mayperform some health monitoring activities of health monitoring system100. However, it may be desirable to perform a richer set of healthmonitoring activities than can be reasonably performed on ear-wearabledevice(s) 102, given the limited power and computational resources ofear-wearable device(s) 102. Hence, in accordance with a technique ofthis disclosure, ear-wearable device(s) 102 may triage which informationneeds to be sent to accessory devices 104. If it is critical to sendinformation to monitoring nodes of health monitoring system 100 (e.g.,accessory devices 104 or computing devices 108), ear-wearable device(s)102 may immediately establish a wireless communication session with anaccessory device. Otherwise, ear-wearable device(s) 102 may wait to senddata to accessory devices 104.

FIG. 6 is an example of an information triage operation of anear-wearable device in accordance with a technique of this disclosure.In the example of FIG. 6 , ear-wearable device(s) 102 may obtain sensordata from one or more sensors configured to gather information aboutuser 105 of ear-wearable device(s) 102 (600). For example, ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 may obtain sensor data from sensors in ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 and/or sensor devices 110.

Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 6 , ear-wearable device(s) 102 maydetermine, based on the sensor data, whether user 105 has experienced anacute health event (602). For example, ear-wearable device 102 maydetermine, based on the sensor data, that user 105 has fallen, that user105 is experiencing a heart arrhythmia, that user 105 is having aseizure or about to have a seizure, that user 105 has a dangerous fever,that user 105 is experiencing heatstroke or hypothermia, that user 105has dangerously high or low blood pressure, or that user 105 isexperiencing another type of acute health event.

In response to determining that user 105 has experienced an acute healthevent (“YES” branch of 604), ear-wearable device(s) 102 may establish acommunication link between ear-wearable device(s) 102 and a firstaccessory device of the set of accessory devices 104 (606). For example,the communication link may be a wireless communication link in which thefirst accessory device receives wireless signals generated byear-wearable device(s) 102. Ear-wearable device(s) 102 may establish thecommunication link immediately in response to determining that user 105has experienced the acute health event. In some examples, ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 may use increasing power levels of wireless signals tohelp ensure that at least one of accessory devices 104 is able toreceive the wireless signals. In this example, the first accessorydevice may be that one of accessory device(s) 102 that first responds tothe wireless signals generated by ear-wearable device(s) 102.

Ear-wearable device(s) 102 may send first health data to the firstaccessory device via the communication link (608). The first health datais based on the sensor data. In some examples, the first health data maybe or comprise the sensor data itself. In some examples, the firsthealth data may include data generated by ear-wearable device(s) 102such as an indication of the acute health condition along with, in someexamples, supporting data. Monitoring nodes of health monitoring system100 (e.g., the accessory device, other ones of accessory devices 104,and/or computing devices 108) may use the first health data to performvarious health monitoring activities, such as alerting one or more thirdparties, causing ear-wearable device(s) 102 to output audibleinstructions or alerts, and so on.

However, in response to determining that user 105 has not experiencedthe acute health event (“NO” branch of 604), ear-wearable device(s) 102may send second health data based on the sensor data to a secondaccessory device while one or more of ear-wearable device(s) 102 arecoupled to a charging device that charges a power source of theear-wearable device (610). Thus, ear-wearable device(s) 102 may be ableto provide the second data at a time when transmitting the second datawould not negatively impact the amount of power stored in the powersource(s) of ear-wearable device(s) 102. In some examples, the chargingdevice is the second accessory device. The first accessory device andthe second accessory device may be the same device. In some examples,the second data is the same as the first data. In other examples, thesecond data may include more or different data than the first data. Forinstance, the second data may include data that is not critical theuser's immediate health, such as the number of steps that user 105 hastaken during a given time period. In other examples, ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 may send the second data to the second accessory deviceunder other conditions. Such other conditions may include instances inwhich ear-wearable device(s) 102 are able to communicate with the secondaccessory device using a low-power wireless communication technology,such as BTE.

In some examples, the definition of the acute health event may becustomized to user 105. In other words, what might be an acute healthevent for one user might not be for another user. For instance, lowblood glucose may not be critical for a non-diabetic person but might befor a diabetic person. Accordingly, in ear-wearable device(s) 102 mayreceive configuration data. Ear-wearable device(s) 102 may customize adefinition of the acute health event to user 105 of ear-wearabledevice(s) 102 based on the configuration data.

Furthermore, as discussed above, in some examples, user 105 may initiatemonitoring of one or more aspects of the health of user 105. In thecontext of FIG. 6 , ear-wearable device(s) 102 may, in response to inputfrom user 105, send health data to one or more of accessory devices 104.The health data may be based on the sensor data. For instance, thehealth data may receive data from one or more of accessory devices 104.The received data may be based on the sent data and may provideinformation regarding a health condition of user 105.

The following paragraphs provide a non-limiting set of examples. Theseand other examples are within the scope of this disclosure.

Example 1A. A method of health monitoring, the method comprising:establishing, by each accessory device in a set of accessory devices, arespective communication link between the accessory device and anear-wearable device, the respective communication link being: a wirelesscommunication link in which the accessory device receives radio signalsgenerated by the ear-wearable device, an optical communication channelin which the accessory device receives light generated by theear-wearable device, or an electrical communication channel in which theaccessory device receives electrical pulses generated by theear-wearable device; receiving, by a particular accessory device in theset of accessory devices, first data via the communication link betweenthe particular accessory device and the ear-wearable device, the firstdata comprising information generated based on sensor signals fromsensors that monitor a user of the ear-wearable device; and performing,by the set of accessory devices, a health monitoring activity based onthe first data.

Example 2A. The method of example 1A, wherein receiving the first datacomprises receiving, by the particular accessory device, a wirelesstransmission of the first data from the ear-wearable device.

Example 3A. The method of any of examples 1A-2A, wherein the particularaccessory device is a charging device adapted to recharge a power sourceof the ear-wearable device.

Example 4A. The method of example 3A, wherein: the communication linkbetween the particular accessory device and the ear-wearable device is acharging device communication link, and establishing the charging devicecommunication link comprises establishing, by the charging device, thecharging device communication link at or during a time that the chargingdevice is recharging the power source of the ear-wearable device.

Example 5A. The method of any of examples 3A-4A, wherein the chargingdevice performs the health monitoring activity.

Example 6A. The method of any of examples 1A-5A, wherein: the particularaccessory device is a first accessory device, the method furthercomprises: generating, by the first accessory device, second data basedon the first data; sending, by the first accessory device, the seconddata to a second accessory device in the set of accessory devices, andperforming the health monitoring activity comprises performing, by thesecond accessory device, the health monitoring activity based on thesecond data.

Example 7A. The method of example 6A, wherein: the method furthercomprises receiving, by the second accessory device, third data from theear-wearable device via the communication link between the secondaccessory device and the ear-wearable device, and performing the healthmonitoring activity comprises performing, by the second accessorydevice, health monitoring activity based on the second data and thethird data.

Example 8A. The method of any of examples 1A-2A and 6A-7A, wherein theparticular accessory device is a media streamer device configured toreceive media data from a source device and wirelessly stream the mediadata to the ear-wearable device.

Example 9A. The method of example 8A, wherein the source device is amobile telephone of the user of the ear-wearable device.

Example 10A. The method of any of examples 1A-2A and 6A-7A, wherein theparticular accessory device is a remote-control device configured towirelessly control the set of ear-wearable devices.

Example 11A. The method of any of examples 1A-10A, further comprising:sending, by the accessory devices, via a communication network, thefirst data to a computing device that is configured to provide thirddata based on the second data to a party other than the user of theear-wearable device.

Example 12A. The method of any of examples 1A-11A, further comprising:sending, by the one or more accessory devices in the set of accessorydevices, via a communication network, the first data to a computingdevice; receiving, by the accessory devices, second data from thecomputing device, wherein the second data is based on the first data;and causing, by the accessory devices, the ear-wearable device togenerate an audio notification based on the second data.

Example 13A. The method of any of examples 1A-12A, further comprising:determining, by the accessory devices, that the ear-wearable device isno longer within wireless communication range of any of the accessorydevices; in response to determining that the ear-wearable device is nolonger within wireless communication range of any of the accessorydevices, triggering, by the accessory devices, a computing device togenerate an alert to a party other than the user of the ear-wearabledevice.

Example 14A. The method of any of examples 1A-13A, further comprisingcausing, by the accessory devices, the ear-wearable device to generatean audio notification related to the user's health.

Example 15A. The method of any of examples 1A-14A, wherein: the set ofaccessory devices includes a plurality of accessory devices and thecommunication links between the plurality of accessory devices and theear-wearable device are wireless communication links; estimating, by theaccessory devices, based on wireless signals emitted by the ear-wearabledevice and detected by the accessory devices, a location of theear-wearable device; and sending, by the accessory devices, navigationinformation to a computing device, the navigation information indicatingthe estimated location of the ear-wearable device.

Example 16A. The method of any of examples 1A-15A, wherein at least oneof: one or more of the accessory devices is designed specifically foruse as an accessory to the ear-wearable device, the particular accessorydevice is designed specifically for use as an accessory to theear-wearable device, or each of the accessory devices is designedspecifically for use as an accessory to the ear-wearable device.

Example 1B. An accessory device comprising: one or more communicationunits configured to: establish a communication link between theaccessory device and an ear-wearable device, the communication linkbeing: a wireless communication link in which the accessory devicereceives radio signals generated by the ear-wearable device, an opticalcommunication channel in which the accessory device receives lightgenerated by the ear-wearable device, or an electrical communicationchannel in which the accessory device receives electrical pulsesgenerated by the ear-wearable device; and receive first data via thecommunication link between the accessory device and the ear-wearabledevice, the first data comprising information generated based on sensorsignals from sensors that monitor a user of the ear-wearable device; andone or more processors configured to perform a health monitoringactivity based on the first data.

Example 2B. The accessory device of example 1B, wherein the one or morecommunication units are configured to receive a wireless transmission ofthe first data from the ear-wearable device.

Example 3B. The accessory device of any of examples 1B-2B, wherein theaccessory device is a charging device adapted to recharge a power sourceof the ear-wearable device.

Example 4B. The accessory device of example 3B, wherein: thecommunication link between the particular accessory device and theear-wearable device is a charging device communication link, and the oneor more communication units are configured to establish the chargingdevice communication link at or during a time that the charging deviceis recharging the power source of the ear-wearable device.

Example 5B. The accessory device of any of examples 1B-4B, wherein: theone or more processors are configured to generate second data based onthe first data, and the one or more communication units are configuredto send the second data to a second accessory device in a set ofaccessory devices, the second accessory device configured to perform asecond health monitoring activity based on the second data.

Example 6B. The accessory device of any of examples 1B-5B, wherein: theone or more communication units are further configured to receive seconddata from a second accessory device via a communication link between theaccessory device and the second accessory device, and the one or moreprocessors are configured to perform the health monitoring activitybased on the first data and the second data.

Example 7B. The accessory device of any of examples 1B-2B and 5B-6B,wherein the accessory device is a media streamer device configured toreceive media data from a source device and wirelessly stream the mediadata to the ear-wearable device.

Example 8B. The accessory device of example 7B, wherein the sourcedevice is a mobile telephone of the user of the ear-wearable device.

Example 9B. The accessory device of any of examples 1B-2B and 5B-6B,wherein the accessory device is a remote-control device configured towirelessly control the set of ear-wearable devices.

Example 10B. The accessory device of any of examples 1BA-9B, wherein theone or more communication units are configured to send, via acommunication network, the first data to a computing device that isconfigured to provide second data based on the first data to a partyother than the user of the ear-wearable device.

Example 11B. The accessory device of any of examples 1B-10B, wherein:the one or more communication units are configured to: send, via acommunication network, the first data to a computing device; and receivesecond data from the computing device, wherein the second data is basedon the first data; and the one or more processors are configured tocause the ear-wearable device to generate an audio notification based onthe second data.

Example 12B. The accessory device of any of examples 1B-11B, wherein theone or more processors are configured to: determine that theear-wearable device is no longer within wireless communication range ofany of the accessory devices; in response to determining that theear-wearable device is no longer within wireless communication range ofany of the accessory devices, trigger a computing device to generate analert to a party other than the user of the ear-wearable device.

Example 13B. The accessory device of any of examples 1B-12B, wherein theone or more processors are further configured to cause the ear-wearabledevice to generate an audio notification related to the user's health.

Example 14B. The accessory device of any of examples 1B-13B, wherein: aplurality of accessory devices includes the accessory device; the one ormore processors are configured to estimate, based on wireless signalsemitted by the ear-wearable device and detected by one or more of theaccessory devices, a location of the ear-wearable device; and the one ormore communication units are configured to send navigation informationto a computing device, the navigation information indicating theestimated location of the ear-wearable device.

Example 15B. The accessory device of any of examples 1B-14B, wherein theaccessory device is designed specifically for use as an accessory to theear-wearable device.

Example 1C. An accessory device comprising: means for establishing acommunication link between the accessory device and an ear-wearabledevice, the communication link being a wireless communication link inwhich the accessory device receives radio signals generated by theear-wearable device, an optical communication channel in which theaccessory device receives light generated by the ear-wearable device, oran electrical communication channel in which the accessory devicereceives electrical pulses generated by the ear-wearable device; meansfor receiving first data via the communication link between theaccessory device and the ear-wearable device, the first data comprisinginformation generated based on sensor signals from sensors that monitora user of the ear-wearable device; and means for performing a healthmonitoring activity based on the first data.

Example 2C. The accessory device of example 1C, further comprising meansfor performing the methods of any of examples 2A-16A.

Example 1D. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions thatcause a set of accessory devices to: establish, by each accessory devicein the set of accessory devices, a respective communication link betweenthe accessory device and an ear-wearable device, the respectivecommunication link being: a wireless communication link in which theaccessory device receives radio signals generated by the ear-wearabledevice, an optical communication channel in which the accessory devicereceives light generated by the ear-wearable device, or an electricalcommunication channel in which the accessory device receives electricalpulses generated by the ear-wearable device; receive, by a particularaccessory device in the set of accessory devices, first data via thecommunication link between the particular accessory device and theear-wearable device, the first data comprising information generatedbased on sensor signals from sensors that monitor a user of theear-wearable device; and perform, by the set of accessory devices, ahealth monitoring activity based on the first data.

Example 2D. The computer-readable storage medium of example 1D, whereinexecution of the instruction further causes the accessory devices toperform the methods of any of examples 2A-16A.

Example 1E. A method comprising: obtaining, by an ear-wearable device,sensor data from one or more sensors configured to gather informationabout a user of the ear-wearable device; determining, by theear-wearable device, based on the sensor data, whether the user hasexperienced an acute health event; in response to determining that theuser has experienced an acute health event: establishing, by theear-wearable device, a communication link between the ear-wearabledevice and a first accessory device, the communication link being awireless communication link in which the accessory device receiveswireless signals generated by the ear-wearable device; and sending, bythe ear-wearable device, first health data to the first accessory devicevia the communication link, the first health data being based on thesensor data; and in response to determining subsequently that the userhas not experienced the acute health event, sending, by the ear-wearabledevice, second health data based on the sensor data to a secondaccessory device while the ear-wearable device is coupled to a chargingdevice that charges a power source of the ear-wearable device.

Example 2E. The method of example 1E, wherein the second accessorydevice is the charging device.

Example 3E. The method of any of examples 1E-2E, wherein the secondaccessory device is the first accessory device.

Example 4E. The method of any of examples 1E-3E, wherein the secondhealth data comprises the first health data.

Example 5E. The method of any of examples 1E-4E, further comprising:receiving, by the ear-wearable device, configuration data; andcustomizing, by the ear-wearable device, a definition of the acutehealth event to the user of the ear-wearable device based on theconfiguration data.

Example 6E. The method of any of examples 1E-6E, further comprising: inresponse to input from the user, sending, by the ear-wearable device,second health data based on the sensor data to the accessory devices;and receiving, by the ear-wearable device, third data from the accessorydevice, the third data being based on the second data and providinginformation regarding a health condition of the user.

Example 1F. An ear-wearable device comprising: one or more communicationunits; and one or more processors configured to: obtain sensor data fromone or more sensors configured to gather information about a user of theear-wearable device; determine, based on the sensor data, whether theuser has experienced an acute health event; wherein the one or morecommunication units are configured to: in response to determining thatthe user has experienced an acute health event: establish acommunication link between the ear-wearable device and a first accessorydevice, the communication link being a wireless communication link inwhich the accessory device receives wireless signals generated by theear-wearable device; and send first health data to the first accessorydevice via the communication link, the first health data being based onthe sensor data; and in response to determining that the user has notexperienced the acute health event, send second health data based on thesensor data to a second accessory device while the ear-wearable deviceis coupled to a charging device that charges a power source of theear-wearable device.

Example 2F. The ear-wearable device of example 1F, wherein the secondaccessory device is the charging device.

Example 3F. The ear-wearable device of any of examples 1F-2F, whereinthe second accessory device is the first accessory device.

Example 4F. The ear-wearable device of any of examples 1F-3F, whereinthe second health data comprises the first health data.

Example 5F. The ear-wearable device of any of examples 1F-4F, wherein:the one or more communication units are configured to receiveconfiguration data; and the one or more processors are configured tocustomize a definition of the acute health event to the user of theear-wearable device based on the configuration data.

Example 6F. The ear-wearable device of any of examples 1F-6F, whereinthe one or more communication units are configured to: in response toinput from the user, send second health data based on the sensor data tothe accessory devices; and receive third data from the accessory device,the third data being based on the second data and providing informationregarding a health condition of the user.

Example 1G. An ear-wearable device comprising: means for obtainingsensor data from one or more sensors configured to gather informationabout a user of the ear-wearable device; means for determining, based onthe sensor data, whether the user has experienced an acute health event;means for establishing, in response to determining that the user hasexperienced an acute health event, a communication link between theear-wearable device and a first accessory device, the communication linkbeing a wireless communication link in which the accessory devicereceives wireless signals generated by the ear-wearable device, andsending first health data to the first accessory device via thecommunication link, the first health data being based on the sensordata; and means for sending, in response to determining that the userhas not experienced the acute health event, second health data based onthe sensor data to a second accessory device while the ear-wearabledevice is coupled to a charging device that charges a power source ofthe ear-wearable device.

Example 2G. The ear-wearable device of example 1G, further comprisingmeans for performing the methods of any of examples 2E-6E.

Example 1H. A computer-readable storage medium having instructionsstored thereon that, when executed, cause an ear-wearable device to:obtain sensor data from one or more sensors configured to gatherinformation about a user of the ear-wearable device; determine, based onthe sensor data, whether the user has experienced an acute health event;in response to determining that the user has experienced an acute healthevent: establish a communication link between the ear-wearable deviceand a first accessory device, the communication link being a wirelesscommunication link in which the accessory device receives wirelesssignals generated by the ear-wearable device; and send first health datato the first accessory device via the communication link, the firsthealth data being based on the sensor data; and in response todetermining subsequently that the user has not experienced the acutehealth event, send second health data based on the sensor data to asecond accessory device while the ear-wearable device is coupled to acharging device that charges a power source of the ear-wearable device.

Example 2H. The computer-readable storage medium of example 1G, whereinexecution of the instructions causes the ear-wearable device to performthe methods of any of examples 2E-6E.

It is to be recognized that depending on the example, certain acts orevents of any of the techniques described herein can be performed in adifferent sequence, may be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g.,not all described acts or events are necessary for the practice of thetechniques). Moreover, in certain examples, acts or events may beperformed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing,interrupt processing, or multiple processors, rather than sequentially.

In one or more examples, the functions described may be implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implementedin software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over, as oneor more instructions or code, a computer-readable medium and executed bya hardware-based processing unit. Computer-readable media may includecomputer-readable storage media, which corresponds to a tangible mediumsuch as data storage media, or communication media including any mediumthat facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place toanother, e.g., according to a communication protocol. In this manner,computer-readable media generally may correspond to (1) tangiblecomputer-readable storage media which is non-transitory or (2) acommunication medium such as a signal or carrier wave. Data storagemedia may be any available media that can be accessed by one or morecomputers or one or more processing circuits to retrieve instructions,code and/or data structures for implementation of the techniquesdescribed in this disclosure. A computer program product may include acomputer-readable medium.

By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable storagemedia can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, flashmemory, cache memory, or any other medium that can be used to storedesired program code in the form of instructions or data structures andthat can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection may beconsidered a computer-readable medium. For example, if instructions aretransmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using acoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line(DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave,then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, orwireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave areincluded in the definition of medium. It should be understood, however,that computer-readable storage media and data storage media do notinclude connections, carrier waves, signals, or other transient media,but are instead directed to non-transitory, tangible storage media.Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

Functionality described in this disclosure may be performed by fixedfunction and/or programmable processing circuitry. For instance,instructions may be executed by fixed function and/or programmableprocessing circuitry. Such processing circuitry may include one or moreprocessors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs),general purpose microprocessors, application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or otherequivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry. Accordingly, the term“processor,” as used herein may refer to any of the foregoing structureor any other structure suitable for implementation of the techniquesdescribed herein. In addition, in some aspects, the functionalitydescribed herein may be provided within dedicated hardware and/orsoftware modules. Also, the techniques could be fully implemented in oneor more circuits or logic elements. Processing circuits may be coupledto other components in various ways. For example, a processing circuitmay be coupled to other components via an internal device interconnect,a wired or wireless network connection, or another communication medium.

Various components, modules, or units are described in this disclosureto emphasize functional aspects of devices configured to perform thedisclosed techniques, but do not necessarily require realization bydifferent hardware units. Rather, as described above, various units maybe combined in a hardware unit or provided by a collection ofinteroperative hardware units, including one or more processors asdescribed above, in conjunction with suitable software and/or firmware.

Various examples have been described. These and other examples arewithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method implemented by an ear-wearable deviceworn by a wearer, the method comprising: obtaining, by the ear-wearabledevice, sensor data from one or more sensors of the ear-wearable device;determining, by the ear-wearable device and based on the sensor data, ifthe wearer is experiencing an acute health event, the ear-wearabledevice storing configuration data comprising a definition of the acutehealth event customized for the wearer; establishing, by theear-wearable device, a first communication link between the ear-wearabledevice and a first accessory device of a plurality of accessory devicesin response to determining that the wearer is experiencing the acutehealth event; sending first health data from the ear-wearable device tothe first accessory device via the first communication link, the firsthealth data comprising data concerning the acute health event; andsending second health data based on the sensor data from theear-wearable device to a second accessory device of the plurality ofaccessory devices via a second communication link in response to anabsence of the wearer experiencing the acute health event.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the second health data comprises data concerning thewearer distinct from the first health data.
 3. The method of claim 1,comprising: receiving, by the ear-wearable device, the configurationdata; and customizing, by the ear-wearable device, the definition of theacute health event based on the configuration data.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the second health data is sent at a time whentransmitting the second health data does not negatively impact an amountof power stored in a power source of the ear-wearable device.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein: the second accessory device comprises acharging device configured to charge the ear-wearable device; and theear-wearable device sends the second health data to the charging devicewhile the ear-wearable device is coupled to the charging device.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the sensor data is further obtained from oneor more body sensors.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprisingreceiving, by the ear-wearable device, third health data from the secondaccessory device, the third health data being based on the second healthdata and providing information regarding a health condition of thewearer.
 8. The method of claim 1, comprising increasing a power level ofwireless signals produced by the ear-wearable device to enhancereception of the wireless signals by at least one of the plurality ofaccessory devices in response to determining that the wearer isexperiencing the acute health event.
 9. The method of claim 1,comprising performing, by the first accessory device or a computingdevice communicatively coupled to the first accessory device, a healthmonitoring activity in response to receiving the first health data. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the ear-wearable device generates anaudio notification concerning the wearer's health in response toinformation received from the first accessory device.
 11. Anear-wearable device configured to be worn by a wearer, comprising: oneor more sensors; one or more communication units; and one or moreprocessors configured to: obtain sensor data from the one or moresensors; determine, based on the sensor data, if the wearer isexperiencing an acute health event, a memory of the ear-wearable devicestoring configuration data comprising a definition of the acute healthevent customized for the wearer; establish a first communication linkbetween the one or more communication units and a first accessory deviceof a plurality of accessory devices in response to determining that thewearer is experiencing the acute health event; send first health datafrom the ear-wearable device to the first accessory device via the firstcommunication link, the first health data comprising data concerning theacute health event; and send second health data based on the sensor datafrom the ear-wearable device to a second accessory device of theplurality of accessory devices via a second communication link inresponse to an absence of the wearer experiencing the acute healthevent.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the second health datacomprises data concerning the wearer distinct from the first healthdata.
 13. The device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors areconfigured to: receive the configuration data; and customize thedefinition of the acute health event based on the configuration data.14. The device of claim 11, wherein the second health data is sent at atime when transmitting the second health data does not negatively impactan amount of power stored in a power source of the ear-wearable device.15. The device of claim 11, wherein: the second accessory devicecomprises a charging device configured to charge the ear-wearabledevice; and the one or more processors are configured to send the secondhealth data to the charging device while the ear-wearable device iscoupled to the charging device.
 16. The device of claim 11, wherein thesensor data is further obtained from one or more body sensors.
 17. Thedevice of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured toreceive third health data from the second accessory device, the thirdhealth data being based on the second health data and providinginformation regarding a health condition of the wearer.
 18. The deviceof claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured toincrease a power level of wireless signals produced by the one or morecommunication units to enhance reception of the wireless signals by atleast one of the plurality of accessory devices in response todetermining that the wearer is experiencing the acute health event. 19.The device of claim 11, wherein the first accessory device or acomputing device communicatively coupled to the first accessory deviceis configured to perform a health monitoring activity in response toreceiving the first health data.
 20. The device of claim 11, wherein theone or more processors are configured to generate an audio notificationconcerning the wearer's health in response to information received fromthe first accessory device.